Silk oak/silver oak
(Grevillea robusta) is a medi-
um to large tree that is ever-
green here. It´s native to
coastal eastern Australia. It
grows very fast, up to 35 m
(115 feet) in height. It has
fern-like foliage, with flowers
that are gold-orange and bot
-
tlebrush-like. Silk oak toler-
ates light shade but prefers
full sun. It´s a drought-resis-
tant, very elegant urban tree.
Interestingly, silk oak is not
a member of the oak family;
it's in the Proteaceae.
Rosewood tree (Tipuana
tipu) comes from South
America and matures at up
to 30 m (98 feet). It´s an
excellent shade tree and is
pollution and drought toler
-
ant. It blooms in the spring
here, totally covered with
bright yellow flowers. We
avoid planting it near homes
and other buildings because
it has a very aggressive root
system.
www.urban-forestry.com 37
