[5][7][8] The inflorescence is a raceme up to 16 cm (6.3 in) long,[5][8][9] with sessile flowers in pairs carried on a short peduncle.

[5][7][8] The Victorian colonial botanist Ferdinand von Mueller first described this species in 1865 based on material collected by John Dallachy in Rockingham Bay.

[3][7][9] Molecular analysis indicates Cardwellia sublimis is a member of the subtribe Gevuininae,[11] and is the earliest offshoot from the main ancestor of the other genera.

[5][7][10][13] Ants (Formicidae) are known to create wounds on the trunk of the northern silky oak by biting it, in order to access and consume the sugary sap.

[13] The northern silky oak has been assessed as least concern by both the Queensland Department of Environment and Science and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

[2] Cardwellia sublimis was harvested extensively in the past for its highly-regarded timber,[2] which was widely used in houses of the traditional "Queenslander" style, especially for windows.

[5] Attempts to grow Cardwellia sublimis in plantations have not been very successful,[7] however it has good potential as a park and street tree due to its large size, attractive foliage and showy flowering displays.