Grevillea striata R.Br.

Voucher:  JAB124   

Family:  Proteaceae.  Common name(s):  Beefwood

Habit: Shrub or tree 3-15 m tall.  Distribution:  Widespread in central Australia and extending to northern Australia; occurring in all mainland states except Victoria.

General features: Density 1100 kg/m3.  Heartwood red and darker than sapwood. 

Microscopic features:

Vessels  Tangential vessel diameter: range 20-157 µm; mean 67 µm; SD 26 µm; average maximum 78-111 µm; n =  84 vessels.  Vessels per square millimetre not recorded for wood in tangential bands (IAWA 1989: 259).  Vessels in tangential bands and clusters.  Perforation plates simple with prominent rim.   

Axial parenchyma  Axial parenchyma banded.  Banded axial parenchyma with a bandwidth not commonly larger than ray width. 

Rays Rays 12-23 cells wide with uniseriate rays absent (n =  15 rays).  Rays of two distinct widths and wider than vessels.  Rays 1-2 per tangential mm (n =   12 sampled areas).  Ray height not recorded but can measure greater than 1 mm.

Helical thickenings  Unknown.

Physical and chemical tests:    Chrome azurol-s test negative.   Heartwood fluorescence absent.  Froth test weakly positive to negative.   E thanol extract fluorescence absent.  Water extract discoloured.  Water extract fluorescence absent.

Uses: 

Aboriginal  Wood split from trunk for shields and spearthrowers (Bindon 1996); unspecified artefacts; spear shaft (Kamminga 2002)

European  Turnery; cabinet making; decorative purposes (Baker 1919); furniture; fencing (Maiden 1889); unspecified artefacts (Johnson & Cleland 1943; Kamminga 2002)