Grevillea dimidiata

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Grevillea dimidiata
Grevillea dimidiata.jpg
At Wave Hill
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Grevillea
Species:
G. dimidiata
Binomial name
Grevillea dimidiata

Grevillea dimidiata, also known as the caustic bush [3] or willings tree, [4] is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with glabrous, more or less sickle-shaped, curved leaves with wavy edges, and cylindrical groups of greenish-white to cream-coloured flowers.

Contents

Description

Grevillea dimidiata is a single-stemmed, glabrous, often glaucous shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of 2–6 m (6 ft 7 in – 19 ft 8 in), sometimes to 12 m (39 ft). Its leaves are sickle-shaped and curved, 90–330 mm (3.5–13.0 in) long and 8–75 mm (0.31–2.95 in) wide, wrinkled and wavy. The leaves appear to have only one side, with the mid-vein on one edge of the leaves. The flowers are arranged on the ends of branchlets in three to eight cylindrical groups 40–110 mm (1.6–4.3 in) long. The flowers are greenish-white to cream-coloured and glabrous, the pistil 16.5–21 mm (0.65–0.83 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs from May to October and the fruit is a more or less spherical follicle 16–23 mm (0.63–0.91 in) long that is sticky at first. [3] [5] [6]

Taxonomy

Grevillea dimidiata was first formally described in 1863 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected by Frederick George Waterhouse near the Roper River during John McDouall Stuart's sixth expedition. [7] [8] The specific epithet (dimidiata) means "divided in half", referring to the leaves. [9]

Distribution and habitat

This grevillea grows in open woodland, scrubland or grassland on rocky or sandy soils and on rocky outcrops and is found between Fitzroy Crossing, Mount Wittenoom and the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf in the Central Kimberley, Northern Kimberley, Ord Victoria Plain and Victoria Bonaparte biogeographic regions of northern Western Australia and north of Wave Hill and Gove in the northern part of the Northern Territory. [3] [5] [6]

Ecology

Caustic bush produces seeds after 4 or 5 years of age. The plant has a typical lifespan of 11 to 20 years and is well adapted to fires in its environment. Adult plants will undergo epicormic resprouting after a fire. [10]

Conservation status

Grevillea dimidiata is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and as of "least concern" under the Northern Territory Government Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976 . The species has a widespread range where it is locally common. It has a stable population with no major threats affecting it. [1] [3] [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Grevillea wickhamii</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Australia

Grevillea wickhamii, commonly known as Wickham's grevillea, holly-leaf grevillea or lgarrmari in Djaru, is species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is an erect shrub or spindly tree with holly-like, broadly egg-shaped leaves with 2 to 7 shallow teeth, and down-curved clusters of flowers, the colour depending on subspecies.

<i>Grevillea miniata</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Western Australia and the Northern Territory

Grevillea miniata, commonly known as sandstone grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to north-western Australia. It is a spreading to erect shrub or small tree with more or less oblong leaves and bright yellow to orange and bright red flowers with a yellow style.

<i>Grevillea hilliana</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to New South Wales and Queensland, Australia

Grevillea hilliana, commonly known as white silky oak, white yiel yiel, Hill's silky oak and grey oak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a tree with lance-shaped to oblong or lobed adult leaves and cylindrical clusters of large numbers of white to pale green flowers.

<i>Grevillea agrifolia</i> Species of plant in the family Proteaceae

Grevillea agrifolia, the blue grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is native to the north of Western Australia and parts of the Northern Territory. It is a shrub or tree with narrowly oblong leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and creamy-yellow flowers.

<i>Grevillea decurrens</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae native to northern Australia

Grevillea decurrens, also known as the clothes-peg tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is a shrub or tree with divided leaves, the lobes elliptic to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, and conical groups of pink or cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Grevillea maccutcheonii</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Western Australia

Grevillea maccutcheonii, commonly known as McCutcheon's grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a single location in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a densely-branched shrub with three-lobed, stem-clasping leaves, and clusters of reddish-green flowers. The total population of the species was estimated in 2007 to be seven mature plants.

<i>Grevillea byrnesii</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae native to the Northern Territory of Australia

Grevillea byrnesii is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to north-western Australia. It is a shrub with broadly egg-shaped leaves and orange flowers.

<i>Grevillea stenobotrya</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Australia

Grevillea stenobotrya is a shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae that is endemic to arid regions of Australia. Common names include rattle-pod grevillea, sandhill grevillea, sandhill oak and sandhill spider flower.

<i>Grevillea refracta</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to northern Australia

Grevillea refracta, commonly known as silver-leaf grevillea, is a species of plant in the protea family and is native to northern Australia. It is a tree or shrub usually with pinnatipartite leaves and red and yellow flowers arranged on a branched, downcurved raceme.

Grevillea nematophylla, commonly known as water bush or silver-leaved water bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is shrub or small tree with simple or pinnatisect leaves, the leaves or lobes linear, and branched, cylindrical clusters of cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Grevillea mimosoides</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to north and central Australia

Grevillea mimosoides, commonly known as caustic bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with curved, narrowly elliptic or egg-shaped leaves and greenish-white to cream-coloured or pale yellow flowers.

Grevillea cunninghamii is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the north of Western Australia. It is a shrub with egg-shaped leaves with sharply-pointed teeth on the edges, and clusters of red flowers.

<i>Grevillea dryandri</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae native to Western Australia

Grevillea dryandri is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is a spreading to erect shrub with divided leaves with up to seventy or more linear to narrowly elliptic leaves, and long clusters of red, orange-red, pink or white flowers.

<i>Grevillea brachystachya</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae from Western Australia

Grevillea brachystachya, commonly known as short-spiked grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a bushy shrub with linear leaves and more or less spherical clusters of cream-coloured to greenish flowers.

<i>Grevillea erythroclada</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Western Australia

Grevillea erythroclada, commonly called needle-leaf grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with divided leaves, the ultimate lobes linear to more or less cylindrical, and clusters of cream-coloured to pale yellow flowers.

<i>Grevillea myosodes</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Western Australia

Grevillea myosodes is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to north-western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with elliptic leaves and branched clusters of cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Grevillea prasina</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Northern Territory and Western Australia

Grevillea prasina is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to north-western Australia. It is a spreading or straggly shrub with egg-shaped to elliptic leaves with coarsely-toothed edges, and dense, cream-coloured to pale yellow flowers, the style pale green to white.

<i>Grevillea pyramidalis</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Western Australia

Grevillea pyramidalis, commonly known as the caustic bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to north-western Australia. It is an erect, spindly shrub or small tree with simple linear or pinnatisect leaves with linear to narrowly egg-shaped lobes, and white to yellow or cream-coloured flowers.

<i>Grevillea velutinella</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Western Australia

Grevillea velutinella is species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to northern Western Australia. It is a shrub with broadly egg-shaped leaves in outline, sometimes with 2 to 7 teeth, and down-turned, often branched clusters of yellowish-green to lemon or cream-coloured flowers.

Gompholobium subulatum is a species of flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is a slender, erect shrub with pinnate leaves with five to eleven leaflets, and uniformly yellow, pea-like flowers.

References

  1. 1 2 "Grevillea dimidiata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  2. "Grevillea dimidiata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Grevillea dimidiata". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. Philip A. Clarke (2012). Australian plants as Aboriginal Tools. Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN   9781922013576.
  5. 1 2 "Grevillea dimidiata". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 "Grevillea dimidiata". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  7. "Grevillea dimidiata". APNI. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  8. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1883). "Brief notes on the genus Grevillea". The Chemist and Druggist with Australasian Supplement. 5 (57): 72. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  9. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 183. ISBN   9780958034180.
  10. "Fire responses of Grevillea dimidiata". Charles Darwin University. May 2004. Retrieved 24 July 2016.