Natural Silver Oak Trees

It is a fast-growing evergreen tree between 18-35 m (59-115 ft) tall with dark green delicately dented bipinnatifid leaves reminiscent of a fern frond It is the largest plant in the Grevillea genus reaching trunk diameters in excess of 1 m (3 ft) The leaves are generally 15-30 cm (6-12 in) long with greyish white or rusty undersides Its flowers are golden-orange bottlebrush-like blooms between 8-15 cm (3-6 in) long in the spring on a 2-3 cm long stem and are used for honey production. Like others of its genus the flowers have no petals instead they have a long calyx that splits into 4 lobes The seeds mature in late winter to early spring fruiting on dark brown leathery dehiscent follicles about 2 cm long with one or two flat winged seeds. USES Before the advent of aluminium Grevillea robusta timber was widely used for external window joinery as it is resistant to wood rot. It has been used in the manufacture of furniture cabinetry and fences. Owing to declining G. robusta populations felling has been restricted. Recently G. robusta has been used for side and back woods on guitars made by Larriv and others because of its tonal and aesthetic qualities.