Grevilleoideae

Last updated

Grevilleoideae
Hakea laurina Tas.jpg
Inflorescence and leaves of the pin-cushion hakea ( Hakea laurina )
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Subfamily: Grevilleoideae
Engl.
Genera

See text

The Grevilleoideae are a subfamily of the plant family Proteaceae. Mainly restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, it contains around 46 genera and about 950 species. Genera include Banksia , Grevillea , and Macadamia .

Contents

Description

The Grevilleoideae grow as trees, shrubs, or subshrubs. They are highly variable, making a simple, diagnostic identification key for the subfamily essentially impossible to provide. One common and fairly diagnostic characteristic is the occurrence of flowers in pairs that share a common bract. However, a few Grevilleoideae taxa do not have this property, having solitary flowers or inflorescences of unpaired flowers. In most taxa, the flowers occur in densely packed heads or spikes, and the fruit is a follicle.

Distribution and habitat

Grevilleoideae are mainly a Southern Hemisphere family. The main centre of diversity is Australia, with around 700 of 950 species occurring there, and South America also contains taxa. However, the Grevilleoideae are barely present in Africa, where almost all of Proteaceae taxa belong to the subfamily Proteoideae. [1] [ page needed ] The lone exception and only grevilleoid in Africa is the Brabejum tree of Cape Town.

Taxonomy

Stenocarpus sinuatus (firewheel tree) Sten sinuatus.jpg
Stenocarpus sinuatus (firewheel tree)
Lomatia silaifolia Lomatia silaifolia email.jpg
Lomatia silaifolia
Telopea oreades, the Gippsland waratah Teloreades1.jpg
Telopea oreades , the Gippsland waratah
Grevillea banksii Grevillia banksii0.jpg
Grevillea banksii
Banksia sessilis (parrotbush) Dryandra sessilis 2 cape Naturaliste email.jpg
Banksia sessilis (parrotbush)

The framework for classification of the Proteaceae was laid by L.A.S. Johnson and Barbara Briggs in their 1975 monograph "On the Proteaceae: the evolution and classification of a southern family". [2] Their classification has been refined somewhat over the ensuing three decades, most notably by Peter H. Weston and Nigel Barker in 2006. The Grevilleoideae are now considered one of five subfamilies of the Proteaceae. The placement and circumscription of the Grevilleoideae in four tribes, according to Weston and Barker can be summarised as: [3]

Sphalmium   Carnarvonia

Roupaleae

Authority: Meisn.

incertae sedis
Megahertzia   Knightia   Eucarpha   Triunia
Subtribe Roupalinae L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs
Roupala   Neorites   Orites
Subtribe Lambertiinae (Venk.Rao) L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs
Lambertia   Xylomelum
Subtribe Heliciinae L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs
Helicia   Hollandaea
Subtribe Floydiinae L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs
Darlingia   Floydia

Banksieae

Authority: Rchb.

fossil form genera
Banksieaeidites   Banksieaeformis   Banksieaephyllum
Subtribe Musgraveinae L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs
Musgravea   Austromuellera
Subtribe Banksiinae L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs
Banksia

Embothrieae

Authority: Rchb.

Subtribe Lomatiinae L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs
Lomatia
Subtribe Embothriinae Endl.
Embothrium   Oreocallis   Alloxylon   Telopea
Subtribe Stenocarpinae L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs
Stenocarpus   Strangea
Subtribe Hakeinae Endl.
Opisthiolepis   Buckinghamia   Hakea   Grevillea   Finschia

Macadamieae

Authority: Venk.Rao

Subtribe Macadamiinae L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs
Macadamia   Panopsis   Brabejum
Subtribe Malagasiinae P.H.Weston & N.P.Barker
Malagasia   Catalepidia
Subtribe Virotiinae P.H.Weston & N.P.Barker
Virotia   Athertonia   Heliciopsis
Subtribe Gevuininae L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs
Cardwellia   Euplassa   Gevuina   Bleasdalea   Hicksbeachia   Kermadecia  

Uses

Edible nuts of Macadamia MacNut2.JPG
Edible nuts of Macadamia

The nursery industry cultivates many Grevilleoideae species as barrier plants and for their prominent and distinctive flowers and foliage. Some species are of importance to the cut-flower industry, especially some Banksia and Dryandra species. Two species of the genus Macadamia and the Chilean species Gevuina avellana (Chilean hazel) are grown commercially for edible nuts. Chilean hazel has an acceptable frost tolerance.

References

  1. Orchard, Anthony E.; McCarthy, Patrick (eds.). "Proteaceae". Flora of Australia, Volume 16: Elaeagnaceae, Proteaceae 1. Melbourne: Australian Biological Resources Study / CSIRO Publishing. Retrieved 2006-06-28.
  2. L. A. S. Johnson and Briggs, B. G. (1975). "On the Proteaceae: the evolution and classification of a southern family". Journal of the Linnean Society of London. Botany. 70 (2): 83–182. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1975.tb01644.x.
  3. Weston, Peter H.; Barker, Nigel P. (2006). "A new suprageneric classification of the Proteaceae, with an annotated checklist of genera". Telopea. 11 (3): 314–344. doi: 10.7751/telopea20065733 . Archived (PDF) from the original on 2009-10-02.