Grevillea olivacea
Olive Grevillea
Olive Grevillea
Wikipedia links: Angiosperms > Eudicots >Proteales > Proteaceae > Grevillea olivacea
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Overview:
Grevillea olivacea, commonly known as olive grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the west coast of Western Australia
It is a dense, erect shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves, and erect clusters of bright red and orange or yellow flowers with a red to yellow style
Common name: Olive Grevillea
Conservation status: Near threatened
This grevillea is listed as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is rare or near threatened
Etymology:
The genus was named in honour of Charles Francis Greville, an 18th-century patron of botany and co-founder of the Royal Horticultural Society
The specific epithet (olivacea) refers to the leaf colour, resembling that of the olive (Olea europea)
Flowers:
The flowers are arranged in dense, umbel-like groups of 14 to 28 on a woolly-hairy rachis 4–8 mm long
The flowers are bright red and orange or yellow and hairy on the outside, the pistil 22–30 mm long with a red to yellow style
Flowering occurs from June to October and the fruit is an oblong to oval follicle 11–15 mm long
Fruit:
Leaves:
Its leaves are elliptic to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 30–68 mm long and 5–17 mm wide
The upper surface of the leaves is more or less glabrous and the lower surface is silky-hairy
Stem & branches:
Roots:
Habit:
A dense, erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–4.5 m and has silky-hairy branchlets
Habitat:
Distribution:
Olive grevillea grows in shrubland on calcareous sand over limestone in near coastal areas of Western Australia
Between Jurien Bay and Leeman in the Geraldton Sandplains and Swan Coastal Plain bioregions of south-western Western Australia
Additional notes:
Taxonomy
It was first formally described by Alex George in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected on the mainland opposite Snag Island south of Dongara in 1966
Use in horticulture
An ornamental but hardy plant, suitable for use in nature strips and parks and as an informal hedge
It grows well in all soil types provided the drainage is good
It responds well to pruning and is attractive to birds and insects
Sources of information: