Alloxylon

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Eudicots > Proteales > Proteaceae > Alloxylon  

Other links:     

Species at ANBG:

Plant  information

Common name:                Tree Waratahs 

Conservation status:  unknown

Etymology:   

• The name is derived from Ancient Greek allo- "other" or "strange" and xylon or "wood" due to their unusual cell architecture compared with the related genera Telopea and Oreocallis

• In Australia, they are known as tree waratahs due to similarities in the inflorescences between them and the closely related Telopea

Habit:        

• Mainly small to medium-sized trees

Distribution:                  

• They are native to the eastern coast of Australia

• One species, A. brachycarpum found in New Guinea and the Aru Islands

Species:                     

• World: 4           

• Australia: 3

• Species:

  • Alloxylon brachycarpum

  • Alloxylon flammeum  (previously Oreocallis wickhamii)

  • Alloxylon pinnatum 

  • Alloxylon wickhamii 

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • The genus is a relatively new creation, being split off from Oreocallis

  • Together with Telopea, Oreocallis and Embothrium, Alloxylon makes up a small group of terminal often red-flowering showy plants scattered around the southern edges of the Pacific Rim

  • Known as the subtribe Embothriinae, this is an ancient group with roots in the mid Cretaceous, when Australia, Antarctica and South America were linked by land

• Cultivation

  • They are grown for their incredibly showy flowers

  • Their large size and, in some cases, lengthy time to flower from seed, has limited their availability as garden plants

  • However Alloxylon flammeum has proven adaptable and hardy, while the others are more exacting in their requirements

  • All do best in a well-drained soil rich in organic material but low in phosphorus with some shelter when small

Sources of information:

• (2023)