Prickly ash | |
---|---|
Orites excelsus in the New England National Park | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Proteales |
Family: | Proteaceae |
Genus: | Orites |
Species: | O. excelsus |
Binomial name | |
Orites excelsus | |
Synonyms [1] | |
|
Orites excelsus, commonly known as prickly ash, mountain silky oak or white beefwood, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a medium-sized to tall rainforest tree with oblong to lance-shaped leaves, variously lobed and with teeth on the edges. The flowers are white and arranged in leaf axils in spikes that are shorter than the leaves.
Orites excelsus is a tree that typically grows to a height of up to 30 m (98 ft) with more or less smooth brown or grey bark, often with minute scales, and new shoots are covered with rust-coloured hairs at first. The leaves are elliptic, lance-shaped, egg-shaped or oblong, 40–185 mm (1.6–7.3 in) long and 15–45 mm (0.59–1.77 in) wide on a petiole 10–25 mm (0.39–0.98 in) long. They are usually lobed, usually have teeth regularly arranged along the edges, shiny green on the upper surface and grey to whitish below. The flowers are white or creamy-white, fragrant, about 6 mm (0.24 in) long and are arranged in leaf axils along a rachis 50–110 mm (2.0–4.3 in) long. Flowering occurs from winter to early spring and the follicles are boat-shaped, 20–30 mm (0.79–1.18 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) wide. [2] [3]
Orites excelsus was first formally described in 1830 by Robert Brown in Supplementum primum Prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae from specimens collected by Charles Fraser near the Hastings River in 1818. [4] [5]
Frederick Manson Bailey described Orites fragrans from Mounts Bellenden Ker and Bartle Frere, now accepted as an isonym of O. excelsus. [6]
Fossils of lobed leaves closely resembling juvenile leaves of O. excelsus have been recovered from the early to middle Eocene Taratu Formation near Livingstone in northern Otago, New Zealand. They have been provisionally classified as close to this species, though a resemblance to Athertonia diversifolia has been noted. [7]
Orites excelsus is found in cool mountain rainforests from Barrington Tops in New South Wales and north to south-eastern Queensland. It also occurs on Mounts Bellenden-Ker and Bartle Frere in north Queensland. It is associated with yellow carabeen ( Sloanea woollsii ). [8] The species is found at altitudes above 750 m (2,460 ft) in New South Wales, and from 1,000 to 1,500 m (3,300 to 4,900 ft) in north Queensland. [2]
The timber of prickly ash has been used for shingles, casks, furniture and joinery. [2]
Hakea laurina is shrub or small tree commonly known as kodjet or pin-cushion hakea and is endemic to Western Australia. The Noongar name for the plant is kodjet or kojet. It has red and cream conspicuous globular flowers and lance shaped leaves.
Banksia seneciifolia is a species of column-shaped shrub that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has linear, pinnatifid leaves, yellow flowers in heads of about twenty-five, and narrow egg-shaped follicles.
Banksia serra, commonly known as serrate-leaved dryandra, is a species of shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has broadly linear, serrated leaves, pale yellow flowers in heads of about thirty and egg-shaped follicles.
Isopogon dubius, commonly known as pincushion coneflower, is a species of plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with sharply-pointed, deeply lobed or pinnate leaves and more or less spherical heads of pink to reddish pink flowers.
Petrophile linearis, commonly known as pixie mops, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to southwestern Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrow egg-shaped leaves, the narrower end towards the base, and oval to spherical heads of hairy, greyish-pink or mauve to almost white flowers.
Petrophile biloba, commonly known as granite petrophile, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to southwestern Western Australia. It is a shrub with pinnately-divided leaves with sharply-pointed tips, and oval heads of hairy, mostly grey to pink flowers.
Petrophile macrostachya is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to southwestern Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with prickly, pinnate or lobed leaves, and oblong or cylindrical heads of glabrous yellow to cream-coloured flowers.
Hakea cristata, commonly known as the snail hakea, is a shrub in the family Proteaceae native to Western Australia. An ornamental prickly shrub with attractive foliage and creamy white rounded flowers appearing in profusion in the winter months.
Persoonia cornifolia is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves and hairy yellow flowers, and grows in northern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland.
Hakea tephrosperma commonly known as hooked needlewood, is a shrub or small tree species in the family Proteaceae. One of the taller species and adaptable for dry to temperate locations.
Isopogon asper is a species of plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low shrub with crowded pinnate leaves and flattened spherical heads of glabrous pink flowers.
Persoonia oblongata is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is an erect to spreading shrub with narrow elliptic to broad egg-shaped leaves and yellow flowers on long, curved pedicels and is found from the lower Blue Mountains, west to Rylstone.
Hakea eriantha, commonly known as tree hakea, is a shrub or small tree endemic to the east coast of Australia. It has white flowers on a woolly stem in leaf axils, long narrow leaves with reddish new growth. Found growing at higher altitudes in moist or sclerophyll Eucalyptus woodland.
Persoonia daphnoides is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a restricted area near the border of eastern New South Wales and Queensland. It is a prostrate shrub with spatula-shaped to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and yellow flowers in groups of up to eight on a rachis up to 35 mm (1.4 in) long.
Persoonia curvifolia is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to central New South Wales. It is an erect to spreading shrub with linear leaves and somewhat hairy yellow flowers.
Isopogon baxteri, commonly known as the Stirling Range coneflower, is a species of plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with wedge-shaped, often 3-lobed, toothed leaves and flattened spherical heads of hairy pink flowers.
Hakea adnata is a shrub in the family Proteaceae native to the south coast of Western Australia. It is multi-stemmed shrub that produces masses of white scented flowers from late winter to spring.
Hakea baxteri, commonly known as fan-leaf hakea , is a shrub in the family Proteaceae native to an area in the Great Southern and Wheatbelt regions of Western Australia. A species noted for its foliage due to its fan-shaped leaves.
Hakea lasiocarpha, commonly known as long styled hakea, is a shrub in the family Proteacea and is endemic to Western Australia. It has about 30 whitish flowers in clusters in the upper leaf axils, rigid prickly leaves and a limited distribution.
Hakea fraseri, is a species of shrub or small tree commonly known as the corkwood oak, is a shrub in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to northern New South Wales. It has furrowed bark, pendulous foliage and creamy-white flowers in spring.