Silver Oak / Silk Oak
Grevillea robusta
It’s a great experience
Listen up!
Description
Grevillea, in honour of the English botanist Charles Francis Greville who was one of the founders of the Royal Horticultural Society. The Latin robustus-a-um, means robust, which alludes to its bearing and growth.
An evergreen tree, fast growing, which can reach 40 m in height in its place of origin, with a more or less conical crown and straight trunk which is strong and has a greyish-brown bark.
Its leaves are alternate, divided into lobes, bright and dark green in the midrib and light green silvery on the underside.
It presents inflorescences in erect terminal clusters, with very nectariferous orange flowers. Fruit in the form of an ellipsoidal capsule, coriaceous, rounded, flattened and dark brown, containing 1-2 seeds.
The tree is sensitive to frost, it tolerates periods of drought well, but not limestone or poorly drained soils.
Multiplication by seeds and also by new wood cuttings. Its wood is of good quality and is also used as an ornamental plant. We must take into account its strong growth and avoid planting it near buildings and other trees.