General Description:

There are approximately 30 species in the genus Stenocarpus. Most are found in New Caledonia and there are about 7 species native to Australia. S.sinuatus, the Firewheel Tree, is the best known species as it is widely cultivated both in Australia and overseas.

Stenocarpus davallioides is a small tree to about 10 metres high. It has fern-like leaves which are divided into small leaflets, especially in their juvenile form. The adult leaves are less divided and have an overall length of 250-300 mm. The cream flower clusters occur in the leaf axils and are seen in late spring to early summer.

S.davallioides has only received limited cultivation to date and despite its sub-tropical to tropical origin, it appears to be adaptable to at least warm temperate to tropical climates. It may be also successful in cooler areas but its frost tolerance is not known. It is likely to prefer fairly rich, loamy soils but seems adaptable to most well drained soils. It may be grown in a sunny or partly shaded location and makes an excellent specimen for a larger container where its attractive foliage can be appreciated at close quarters.

This species can be grown readily from either seed or cuttings but seed is not readily available.

* EPBC Act = Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999;
ROTAP = Rare or Threatened Australian Plants (Briggs and Leigh, 1988)
For further information refer the Australian Plants at Risk page