Flindersia australis aka Australian Teak
Taxonomy ID: 25506
Flindersia australis is a tree from Australia. It belongs to the Rutaceae family. Its native range starts in central-eastern Queensland. It extends to northeastern New South Wales. Names include Australian teak, crow's ash, and Queensland rasp-pod. It grows in lowland forests in tropical or subtropical climates. These include dry forests and sites with seasonal dry spells. It also grows in vine thickets.
This large tree has a dense, oval crown. It sheds some leaves, so is not fully evergreen. Useful Tropical Plants gives its height as about 98 feet [30 metres]. The same source's broader account gives an upper height of 131 feet [40 metres]. Trees in dry forests and vine thickets stay smaller. The evidence gives no separate height range for garden trees. Large trees form buttresses, which flare out at the trunk's base. These make the base broad, rather than straight-sided.
The tree grows in full sun and dappled shade. It suits tropical and subtropical sites and withstands light frost. The evidence gives no exact limit for winter cold. It grows in a wide range of soils. The source gives no set soil pH or watering schedule. Growers raise the tree from seed. Fresh seed is quick to sprout. The source says to sow within one week of harvest. Seed kept in a fridge can still sprout after long storage.
People plant this tree for its looks and along avenues. Its large size and dense crown shape its garden role. Wild trees supply wood for a range of uses. The wood is yellow-brown and has a close grain. It is hard, strong, and resists wear. People use it for buildings, floors, staves, and ships. Its oily finish adds to its worth for floors. The wood holds much oil and catches fire with ease. Even fresh-cut wood burns well once it catches fire.
The rough fruits have small bumps on their skin. People have used them to rasp roots and other foods. This use does not mean people can eat the fruits. Useful Tropical Plants lists no known food or medicinal uses. It also lists no known hazards for this species. This does not prove the tree is safe for people or pets.
Common names
Australian Teak, Crow's AshMore information about Australian Teak
Where is Crow's ash (Flindersia australis) from?
Flindersia australis is endemic to north-eastern Australia. Its native range stretches from central-east Queensland (around Airlie Beach and inland to Carnarvon National Park) south through New South Wales to about the Nymboida River and Kempsey on the North Coast. It grows in dry and subtropical rainforest and dry scrub at low elevations within the seasonally dry tropical biome.
How big does Crow's ash grow?
Crow's ash is a large rainforest tree that typically reaches around 40 metres in height, with larger specimens developing moderately buttressed trunks. It carries imparipinnate leaves with usually 5–9 glossy green leaflets and produces woody, rough-pointed seed capsules 7–10 cm long containing winged seeds 3–5 cm long. Trees are smaller in drier forests and vine thickets than in moist rainforest.
What lighting does Crow's ash need?
Flindersia australis thrives in full sun and tolerates dappled shade, making it a versatile canopy or feature tree once established.
What soil does Crow's ash need?
The species is tolerant of a wide range of soils and is not reported to require specific pH or texture conditions.
What temperatures does Crow's ash tolerate?
Crow's ash is suited to subtropical and tropical climates and will tolerate light frosts, but it is not a cold-climate tree.
What do Crow's ash flowers look like?
Flowers are small, with petals 5–7 mm long, white to cream, and densely hairy on the outside (except along the margins). They are borne in terminal or upper-axillary panicles around 15 cm long, and inflorescences usually include some male-only flowers along with the bisexual ones. Bloom time is mainly Australian spring, with peak flowering in September and October.
Can Crow's ash be grown outdoors?
This is an outdoor specimen tree for subtropical-to-tropical gardens, parks and rainforest revegetation projects. It tolerates light frosts, full sun or dappled shade, and a wide range of soil types, but its eventual size (around 40 m) makes it unsuitable for small gardens.
How is Crow's ash propagated?
Flindersia australis is propagated from seed. Fresh seed germinates quickly if sown within about a week of harvest, and seeds retain their viability for long-term storage when refrigerated.
How is Crow's ash pollinated?
Genus-level floral architecture (bisexual flowers with five sepals, five petals, and five stamens alternating with staminodes) is consistent with insect pollination typical of Rutaceae, and the woody capsules release winged seeds adapted for wind dispersal.
Is Crow's ash edible?
No edible uses are recorded for Flindersia australis.
Does Crow's ash have medicinal uses?
No medicinal uses are recorded for Flindersia australis.
What is Crow's ash used for?
Flindersia australis is one of Australia's premier hardwood timbers, traded as Australian teak or Crow's ash. The yellow-brown wood is hard, strong, close-grained and durable, and has been used for staves, building framing, flooring and shipbuilding; its high oil content makes even freshly cut wood highly flammable once ignited. Indigenous Australians traditionally used the rough, tuberculated fruit capsules as rasps for preparing edible roots and other foods.
Sources
About Ploi
Ploi is a top-rated plant care app (4.99 stars) that offers intelligent watering reminders. Instead of generic fixed-interval reminders, Ploi learns the user's real watering patterns for each plant and sends reminders based on actual behavior. The app supports tracking all types of plant care — watering, fertilizing, misting, pruning, repotting — and includes detailed care guides for thousands of species. Available free on iOS, Android and web.
