Buckinghamia celsissima

Buckinghamia celsissima, commonly known as the ivory curl, is a species of trees, constituting part of the plant family Proteaceae. They are endemic to the wet tropics rainforests areas of northeastern Queensland, Australia.

Buckinghamia celsissima
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Proteales
Family:	Proteaceae
Genus:	Buckinghamia
Species:	B. celsissima
Binomial name
Buckinghamia celsissima F.Muell.

The species was described in 1868 by Ferdinand von Mueller in honour of Richard Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, from a collection of material made by John Dallachy near Rockingham Bay on 11 January 1865. Its specific epithet is Latin for "very tall".[1] Common names include ivory curl flower and spotted silky oak.[2]

Buckinghamia celsissima reaches 30 m (98 ft) tall in its natural rainforest habitat, but is much smaller, reaching 10 m (33 ft) tall, in Australian east coast gardens.[1] Glossy dark green above and whitish below, the leaves are quite variable. Juvenile leaves have one or more lobes while adult leaves are simple and entire,[1] measuring 8 to 16 cm (3.1 to 6.3 in) long by 3–7 cm (1.2–2.8 in) wide.[3] The white flower spikes appear over summer and autumn.[1] Terminal and showy,[4] these are drooping racemes up to 20 cm (7.9 in) in length.[1] Flowers are followed by the development of woody follicles, 1.5–3 cm (0.59–1.18 in) long.[3]

In the wild they are found more frequently in drier rainforest from altitudes of 200 to 1,000 m (660 to 3,280 ft) above sea level. They often grow with kauri pine (Agathis robusta).[3]

The species is grown widely in Brisbane and thrives in Sydney and Melbourne, yet is shy to flower in Cairns.[1] Frosts render it difficult to grow in Canberra.[5] It can be propagated from seeds or cuttings of hardened new growth.[4] Its flowerheads attract birds and insects.[6]