Grevillea

Grevillea
Grevillea banksii in flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
Order:	Proteales
Family:	Proteaceae
Subfamily:	Grevilleoideae
Genus:	Grevillea R.Br. ex Knight
Species
See List of Grevillea species

G. rosmarinifolia

Grevillea (pronounced /ɡrɨˈvɪliə/)^[1] is a diverse genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the protea family Proteaceae, native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Sulawesi. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Greville. The species range from prostrate shrubs less than 0.5 m tall to trees 35 m tall. Common names include Grevillea, Spider Flower, Silky-oak and Toothbrush.

Closely related to the genus Hakea, the genus gives its name to the subfamily Grevilleoideae. Many species of grevilleas are popular garden plants, especially in Australia but also in other temperate and subtropical climates. Many grevilleas have a propensity to interbreed freely, and extensive hybridisation and selection of horticulturally desirable attributes has led to the commercial release of many cultivars. Among the best known are Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon', a small shrub up to 1.5 metres high and wide which can flower 12 months of the year in subtropical climates.

Species

There are over 350 species which are endemic to Australia, including the following:

Five species are endemic to areas outside Australia. Three of these - G. exul., G. gillvayi, and G. mesneri are endemic to New Caledonia while G. elbetii and G. papuana are endemic to Sulawesi and New Guinea respectively. Two other species, G. baileyana and G. glauca, occur in both New Guinea and Queensland.

Uses

Traditional Aboriginal use

Grevillea flowers were a traditional favourite among Aborigines for their sweet nectar. This could be shaken onto the hand to enjoy, or into a coolamon with a little water to make a sweet drink. They might be referred to as the original "bush lollies".

Drinking nectar direct from the flower is best avoided as some commonly cultivated Grevillea species produce flowers containing toxic cyanide.^[3][4]

Cultivation

New Holland Honeyeater on Grevillea aspleniifolia, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra

Many species are cultivated for their distinctive foliage and showy flowers, and they have been extensively hybridised. They can be grown from soft tip cuttings from December-March (in the Southern Hemisphere) or seed.

Many harder to grow species can be grafted onto hardy rootstock such as Grevillea robusta.

Grevilleas hybridise extremely easily in cultivation. this has resulted in a huge number of named Grevillea cultivars.

They are also good bird-attracting plants, honeyeaters in particular are common visitors. They are also used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the Dryandra Moth.

There is an active Grevillea Study Group in ASGAP for people interested in Grevilleas, both for uses in horticulture and for conservation in the wild.

Gallery

Grevillea banksii	G. candelabroides, Mingenew	Grevillea dielsiana	G. wickhamii aprica
G. rivularis

References

• ABRS Flora of Australia online: Grevillea

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Grevillea

Wikispecies has information related to: Grevillea

• The Grevillea Page of ASGAP
• The Illawarra Grevillea Park Page