Woody
Stems and branches with a woody texture commonly associated with shrubs or perennials.Small dome / Mallee
A shrub to small tree with a rounded crown and with or without multiple trunks.This variable shrub to small tree has grey brown bark and forms open rounded bushy habit. It has slender lobed grey green leaves that are silvery underneath and the small red tube-shaped flowers appear in a cylindrical raceme from winter to spring.
Grevillea banksii R.Br. is naturally found in fragmented locations along the coast in eastern Queensland from Townsville to Brisbane and the adjoining islands, in Australia. It grows on ridges and in open woodlands in exposed positions, appearing from sea level to an elevation of 250 m (820 ft). It prefers a well drained, moist-dry sandy to gravelly clay soil that is acidic to neutral with a pH range from 5.5 to 7.0. It grows in an open to exposed sunny position and is drought, salt spray and humidity tolerant but frost tender with a preferred minimum winter temperature of 5ºC (41ºF).
Bank's Grevillea and its cultivars are grown for their colourful flowers and variable growth habit. It is planted in parks or gardens as a specimen or in shrub borders for screening and to attract birds. It is also used in coastal gardens tolerating exposed positions or can be cultivated in tubs and planter boxes. It has a vigorous growth rate establishing in 2 to 3 years and matures in 10 years. There are many cultivars available with varying flower colour and growth habit. Once established it has a medium water requirement, (Scale: 2-drops from 3) and responds to mulching preferring ample moisture during summer.
I.D. 156
UK hardiness zone H2
Climate zones 16 - 24, H1
USDA Zone 9-11
Grevillea (gre-VIL-ee-a) banksii (BANK-see-eye)
Etymology
Genus: Grevillea– named after Charles Francis Greville (1749-1809) co-founder of the Royal horticultural Society
Species: - banksii – from ‘banks’ in honour to the British botanist Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820).
Variations
Tree Form
This small tree grows to 10 m (30 ft) tall with spreading branches that forms an open habit and is commonly seen in forests of south east Queensland near Bundaberg. It produces lobed leaves and the flowers are cream to pink and red. It commonly acts as a wound plant intermittently filling damaged areas of forest.
var. forsteri
This shrub is upright and bushy to 3 m (10 ft) and produces silvery leaves and red or white flowers in spring.
White form
Townsville Form
This small tree grows to 10 m (30 ft) tall with spreading branches that forms an open habit, but unlike the 'Tree Form' this tree has smaller flowers and inflorescence, up to 60 mm (2 3/8 in) long.
Prostrate Coastal Form 'Prostrate'
This Queensland shrub has an upright trunk to 150 mm (6 in) tall with downward spreading branches that form a mound to prostrate habit. The leaves are silvery-grey and the flowers are cream, white or red and the plant is found in exposed coastal positions growing on poor sandy soils.
Cultivars
'Alba'
This small shrub to 2 m (6 ft) has a bushy habit and produces white flower heads throughout the year. It prefers a full sun protected position and grows on well drained moderately fertile moist soil. It has a medium water requirement once established.
'Autumn Waterfall'
This shrub is a hybrid between Grevillea bipinnatifida x Grevillea 'Honey Gem' and grows to a high of 1m (3 ft) tall by 1.5 m (5 ft) wide forming a shrubby habit. It has dark green deeply lobed fern-like foliage and produces racemes of orange-yellow flowers from winter to spring. It is planted long garden borders to attract birds or used as a groundcover on embankments. It grows in most well drained moderately fertile sandy soils in an open sunny positions.
'Flamingo'
This plant grows to a height and width of 3 m (10 ft) with arching stems that can contain up to twelve pink blooms. The flowers appear throughout the year and the plant tolerating light frost and moderately well drained soils. It has a medium water requirement once established.
'Honey Gem'
This upright shrub to small tree has honey-yellow flowers that appear profusely during spring and is an excellent specimen plant.
'Kingaroy Slippers'
This plant has purple-red flowers and the perianth tube looks like a slipper. It is very simular to the species and may not be regarded as a true cultivar. It has a medium water requirement once established.
'Mason's Hybrid' syn. Ned Kelly
This fast growing spreading shrub to 2 m (6 ft) tall is a cross between G. banksii and G. pinnatifida and produces dark green, deeply divided leaves. The showy orange-red flowers appear throughout the year and are highly bird attractive. It prefers an open full sun position tolerating light frost and grows on well drained moderately fertile moist soils. It is used in border planting and tolerates a light regular prune. It has a medium water requirement once established.
'Misty Pink'
This vigorous shrub grows to 5 m (15 ft) tall by 4 m (12 ft) wide with greyish lobed leaves and light pink flowers that have contrasting ivory white styles. The flowers are produced throughout the year and are bird attracting. It is planted in shrub borders or as a specimen in small gardens. It is primarily a subtropical plant but tolerates cooler climates in a semi-shaded to full sun position on well drained moist soils. It has a medium water requirement once established.
'Moonlight'
Grevillea Banksii x Grevillea whiteana
This erect shrub grows to 4 m (12 ft) tall by 3 m (10 ft) wide forming a bushy habit with deeply pinnatisect dark green leaves with 9 to 11 narrow lobes. The attractive terminal raceme is up to 120 mm (4 ¾ in) long and the flowers are creamy white to bluish pink appearing throughout the year and are bird attracting. It is planted in shrub borders or as a specimen in small gardens and is moderately long lived. It prefers a moist well drained moderately fertile soil in semi-shaded to full sun position and is suitable for coastal regions and is drought and frost tender. It is moderately drought, salt and lime tolerant and has a medium water requirement once established.
'Paddy’s Pink'
This hybrid Grevillea is derived from ‘Misty Pink’ and grows to 2.5m (7½ ft) tall and wide forming a compact bushy habit with greyish lobed leaves. From spring to summer it produces masses of flower heads with soft rose pink flowers with yellow tipped styles. It grows in a open sunny to semi shaded warm position and is light frost tolerant. It prefers a well drained moist sandy to clay loamy soil and is planted along borders for screening or as a specimen in small gardens attracting birds and bees. The flowers can be cut for floral arrangements and the plant can be grown in tubs or planter boxes.
'Peaches and Cream'
This frost tolerant bushy shrub with bright green leaves and produces a peach-coloured flower. It is drought tolerant and requires little care once established. Suitable for small gardens, pots and courtyards. It has a medium water requirement once established.
'Ruby Red'
This prostrate plant produces silvery lobed leaves and bright red inflorescences up to 60 mm (2 3/8 in) long. It is an excellent ground cover but dislikes cold conditions and is drought tender. It has a medium water requirement once established.
'Sandra Gordon'
This shrub to small tree grows to 6 m (20 ft) tall by 3.5 m (11 ft) wide with a trunk with grey furrowed bark and spreading branches that form an irregular rounded crown. The leaves are deeply divided and the bright yellow nectar rich flowers are arranged in a narrow raceme that appears from late winter to spring. It prefers a wind protected sunny position and grows on well drained moist soils and has a medium water requirement once established.
'Superb'
This shrub grows to 2 m (6 ft) tall by 2 m (6 ft) wide and has a low spreading habit. The leaves are deeply divided and the large slightly pendant flower heads are reddish-orange appearing throughout the year. It is planted in borders for screening or as an informal hedge tolerating a light prune and is bird attracting. It prefers an open sunny position in moist well drained soil and tolerates a light frost but is drought tender. It has a medium water requirement once established.
'Sylvia'
This small to medium size shrub grows to 4 m (12 ft) tall by 3 m (10 ft) wide with woody stems that form a bushy habit. The greyish leaves are divided, fern-like and are bronze-coloured when young. The reddish-pink flowers are arranged in large cylindrical flower head appearing throughout the year and are bird attracting. It is used in border planting for screening and the flowers may be used in floristry. It must have well drained moderately fertile moist soils and prefers a full sun to semi-shaded position and is drought tender but light frost tolerant. It has a medium water requirement once established.
'Yamba Sunshine'
This shrub to small tree grows to 3.5m (12 ft) tall by 2.5m (8 ft) wide. It has a grey furrowed trunk and slender spreading branches that form a dense bushy habit. The bright green leaves are deeply divided and the soft yellow nectar rich flowers are arranged in a narrow raceme that appears from autumn to spring or sporadically throughout the year. It prefers a wind protected sunny position and grows in well drained, moist sand to loamy soil and has a medium water requirement once established. The flowers attract birds and bees and the plant is used for screening or as a specimen.
Note:
There are three prostrate forms they all grow to 1 m high with a spreading habit that produce white or red flowers. One form has small leaves to 70 mm (2 2/3 in) long.
Australia (Eastern Queensland)
Grevillea Species
A majority of this genus is endemic to Australia with a larger proportion found in south-western Western Australia.
They consist of prostrate shrubs, shrubs and trees with a large range of foliage types and are usually bird attracting.
The inflorescences range from globular heads that may be elongated to toothbrush-like one sided raceme.
The individual flowers consist of a perianth tube that is made up of four segments that are fused except for one side. There are four stamens that are arranged at the tip of the perianth tube and a long hooked style.
Pollination mechanism
Ripe pollen is shed onto the unripe stigma where visitors pick it up. When the pollen is removed or it dries up the stigma becomes ripe and sticky ready for another visitor to deposit pollen, which will grow and induce fertilisation.
The fruit is a capsule (follicle) and is normally leathery splitting to release one or two winged seeds.
Propagation
Although the seeds are viable seedling stock can vary from the parent plant. Grevilleas are normally grown from semi-hardwood cuttings that produce sensitive roots. Care should be taken when potting up or planting out.
Plants derived from cuttings are busher than seedling stock.
Soils
Grevilleas will tolerate most soil types though they tend to prefer slightly acidic sandy or clay soil types that are well drained.
Aspect
Grevilleas will grow in full sun to shade positions though flower production will diminish in shade. They can tolerate dry periods and some tolerate frost, most of the genus is hardy and tolerate neglect.
Proteaceae (pro-tee-AY-see-ee)
Protea Family
Distribution
This family of dioecious or monoecious trees and shrubs that mainly appear in the southern hemisphere with some found in Central America and Africa. They are abundant in the southern part of Australia and normally grow on poor infertile soils that are tending acidic. Their habitats include shrubland, grassland, rainforests, alpine meadows and tropical lowlands
Diagnostic Features
The highly variable leaves are arranged alternate, opposite or whorled and are compound, dissected or lobed or pinnately toothed or simple. The margin is entire or pinnatisect and without stipules. The leaf shape can vary at different stages of growth, juvenile to adult.
The normally bisexual flowers are regular or irregular arranged in racemes or compound inflorescences (cone-like); some are solitary and appear in the leaf axils.
There are normally 4 perianth-segments that are free or united and are arranged in a single whorl, petaloid and valvate in bud joined when young and separating as the tube splits down one side.
The 4 stamens are all fertile and appear opposite the perianth segments and may be reduced to staminodes.
The filaments are partly or wholly attached to the tepals often sessile and the anthers are four chambered opening with longitudinal slits.
The ovary is superior and has one carpel that contains one chamber with one to many ovules.
The hooked style is simple and the stigma is small bulbous (capitate) or maybe bilobed.
The fruit are dehiscent or indehiscent follicle or drupe or achene with few or many winged seeds.
Note:
Some species are used for food, alcoholic drink, herbal remedies and extensively used in ornamental and domestic gardens for their fantastic flowers and foliage. There are 80 genera and 1,700 species.
This plant tolerates between USDA zones 9a to 11a and grows to 4 m (12 ft)
Fahrenheit 20º to 45º F
These temperatures represent the lowest average.
Celsius -3.9º to 7.2º C
Attention
This plant was last revised on the 9/05/2022
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Simple
The leaf that is not divided.Lobed
A leaf that is rounded and forming incomplete divisions from the margin to the centre.Alternate
Leaves are arranged alternately along the stem.Recurved - Revolute
A leaf margin that is curved or bending backwards with rolled edges.