ခါတော်မီ

Myanmar Name – Khar daw hmi

Common Name – Silky oak

Botanical Name – Grevillea robusta A.Cunn.Ex R.Br.

Family Name – Proteaceae

Habitat – Native to the rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests of eastern Australia. It can be found in areas with a subtropical or tropical climate.

Habit – Evergreen tree with a single main trunk, growing to 5–40 m (20–100 ft) tall. The bark is dark grey and furrowed. Its leaves are fern-like, 10–34 cm (4–10 in) long, 9–15 cm (4–6 in) wide and divided with between 11 and 31 main lobes.

Bark – Sometimes pustulate, dark grey to dark brown, inner bark reddish-brown.

Leaves – Leaves alternate, fernlike, pinnately (almost bipinnately) compound, 15-30 cm long, exstipulate; 11-21 pairs side axes (pinnae), 4-9 cm long, deeply divided into narrow, long, pointed lobes 6-12 mm wide, upper surfaces shiny dark green and hairless.

Inflorescence – Axillary simple or branched raceme, protandrous, petals 4, united into a tube that is mostly recurved under the broadened apex(limb); stamens 4, sessile in the concave limb; disk annular or semi-annular, sometimes bilobed; ovary superior.

Flower – Flowers solitary, in twos or threes; pedicel 1-1.5 cm long, glabrous, leaving a permanent white lenticular scar. Sepals 1.5-2 cm long, hooded, at first all fused together except on one side, later on fused in twos basally and apically.

Fruit – Fruits podlike, broad, slightly flattened (boat shaped), 2 cm long, black with long slender stalk and long, threadlike, curved style; 1 or 2 seeds, 10-13 mm long, elliptical, brown.

Seed – Seeds 1-1.5 cm long, 0.5-1 cm broad, broadly winged, thin, ovate, non-endospermic.

Flowering and Fruiting Time – Flowering time from July to September and fruiting time from September to December.

Usage – Cultivated as an ornamental tree in gardens, parks, and landscapes. It’s used in various woodworking applications, including furniture making, cabinetry, and construction.