Stenocarpus sinuatus

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Eudicots > Rosids  >Basal Eudicots >  Proteales > Proteaceae > Stenocarpus  sinuatus

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:                Firewheel Tree 

• Also,  white beefwood, Queensland firewheel tree, tulip flower, white oak and white silky oak

Conservation status:  unknown

Etymology:   

Flowers:                  

• The ornamental flowers are bright red in umbels, in a circular formation, hence the name Firewheel Tree. Flowers form mostly between February to March. 

Fruit:                         

• The fruit is a follicle, in a boat shape, 5 to 10 cm long

• Inside are many thin seeds 12 mm long

• Fruit matures from January to July

• Regeneration from fresh seed occurs speedily

• Cuttings also strike well

Leaves:         

• Leaves alternate and variable in shape, simple or pinnatifid, the leaf margins wavy. 12 to 20 cm long

• Leaf venation is clearly seen above and below the leaf

• Leaves are characteristic and easily identified as part of the Protea family

Stem & branches: 

• The bark is greyish brown, not smooth and irregular

• The base of the cylindrical trunk is flanged

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A medium to large tree, up to 40 metres tall and 75 cm in trunk diameter

Habitat:   

• Rainforests

Distribution:                  

• An Australian rainforest tree 

• From the Nambucca River (30° S) in New South Wales to the Atherton Tableland (17° S) in tropical Queensland

Additional notes:     

• Is widely planted as an ornamental tree in other parts of Australia and in different parts of the world.

• Uses

  • A popular ornamental tree

  • In art

  • The flower (as Wheel Flower) is the subject of some of Margaret Preston's most popular prints

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenocarpus_sinuatus (2023)