General Description:

Darlingia is a small genus of only two species.  Both are tall, rainforest trees endemic to northeast Queensland.

Darlingia darlingiana is a tall tree that may reach 30 metres in its natural habitat, but generally 5-10 metres high and 4-5 metres wide in open cultivation.  The dark green leaves are initially deeply lobed up to 40 cm long and become entire as the plant ages. The creamy white flowers appear in spring and summer in spikes up to 20 cm long and 5 cm diameter at the ends of branches.  The spikes are usually single but are occasionally branched. Flowering occurs in spring and summer.

This is a reliable garden plant in humid areas at least as far south as Brisbane. It is frost tender but can be grown in sheltered positions as far south as Melbourne. Flowers first appear in about 6 years from seed.  As a rainforest plant, it prefers a rich, loamy soil.

Propagation can be carried out from seed, which does not seem to need any pre-treatment prior to sowing.  Plants can also be propagated by cuttings of firm, current season’s growth.