Grevillea insignis | |
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Grevillea insignis subsp. insignis ( Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne) | |
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Grevillea insignis subsp. elliotii (Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne) | |
Scientific classification
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Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Proteales |
Family: | Proteaceae |
Genus: | Grevillea |
Species: | G. insignis
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Binomial name | |
Grevillea insignis |
Grevillea insignis, commonly known as wax grevillea, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with more or less oblong leaves with seven to seventeen sharply-pointed, triangular teeth, and more or less spherical or cylindrical clusters of cream-coloured flowers ageing to pink.
Grevillea insignis is an erect, bushy shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–4 m (3 ft 3 in – 13 ft 1 in). Its leaves are more or less oblong, 29–90 mm (1.1–3.5 in) long and 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) wide with seven to seventeen sharply-pointed triangular teeth or lobes 3–8 mm (0.12–0.31 in) long and wide. The flowers are cream-coloured, ageing to pink and are arranged in more or less spherical to cylindrical, sometimes branched clusters on a rachis 10–25 mm (0.39–0.98 in) long. The pistil is 11–20 mm (0.43–0.79 in) long, and the ovary is densely shaggy-hairy. Flowering occurs from June to December and the fruit is an oblong follicle 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) long. [2] [3] [4]
Grevillea insignis was first formally described in 1855 by Carl Meissner in Hooker's Journal of Botany and Kew Garden Miscellany based on material collected by James Drummond. [5] [6] The specific epithet (insignis) means "remarkable" or "distinguished". [7]
In 1993, In 1994 Peter M. Olde and Neil R. Marriott described two subspecies of G. insignis in the journal Nuytsia and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census: [4]
Subspecies elliotii grows in woodland and shrubland in a restricted area east of Varley and subsp. insignis grows in mallee and heathy shrubland between Tammin, Nyabing and Tarin Rock. [9] [10] [12] [13]
Subspecies insignis is listed as "not threatened" [12] but subsp. elliotii is classified as " Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, [9] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat. [14]