Silky Oak, Australian Silk Oak, Silk Oak                         gre-VIL-le-a ro-BUS-tah

• Broadleaf evergreen tree, tall, fast growing to 115 ft (35 m), may reach 165 ft (50 m) in its habitat, symmetrical, pyramidal when young, old trees have broad tops (30-35 ft, ~9-11 m), branches have silvery pubescent.   Leaves alternate, pinnately compound ("fern-like”), 15-30 cm long, the pinnae (leaflets) usually further bipinnate, lanceolate, margin involuted (rolled inward toward the upper surface), dark green above, silky pubescent below.  Flowers golden orange-yellow, produced singly or in 2s or 3s, in one sided racemes, 7-12 cm long, style prominent (2 cm), flowering only occurs in trees in a subtropical and tropical environments.
• Sun,  does well in heat.  A valuable, fast growing, shade tree in the tropics and subtropics.  Brittle in high winds.  Heavy leaf drop in the spring, sporadic drop throughout the year.  A popular potted plant in cooler climates (Sunset, 2007).
• Hardy to USDA Zone 8   [Young trees injured at 24° F…older trees at 1° F (Sunset, 2007)]   Native to Australia (Queensland and New South Wales); considered a weed in parts of Hawaii.