Grevillea acuaria is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a rounded, bushy to erect shrub with spreading linear to narrowly elliptic leaves and red flowers arranged in small clusters.

Grevillea acuaria
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Grevillea
Species:
G. acuaria
Binomial name
Grevillea acuaria
Synonyms[2]
  • Grevillea aculeolata S.Moore
  • Grevillea aculeolata S.Moore var. aculeolata
  • Grevillea aculeolata var. longifolia S.Moore
  • Grevillea arida C.A.Gardner

Description

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Grevillea acuaria is a rounded, bushy to erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.2–1.5 m (7.9 in – 4 ft 11.1 in). Its leaves are mostly linear to cylindrical, 5–30 mm (0.20–1.18 in) long and 0.5–3.5 mm (0.020–0.138 in) wide with the edges turned down or rolled under. The flowers are usually arranged in groups of four to six on the ends of branches or in leaf axils on a flowering stem less than 1 mm (0.039 in) long, and are scarlet to deep burgundy, the style green or red, often with a green tip. Each flower is on a pedicel 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long, and the pistil is 14–21 mm (0.55–0.83 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs from May to October and the fruit is an oval follicle 8–11 mm (0.31–0.43 in) long.[3][4]

Taxonomy

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Grevillea acuaria was first formally described in 1870 by George Bentham from an unpublished manuscript by Ferdinand von Mueller and the description was published in Flora Australiensis from material collected by James Drummond.[5][6] The specific epithet (acuaria) means "possessing needles".[7]

Distribution and habitat

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This grevillea grows in a wide variety of habitats, often in winter-wet situations and is widespread in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Esperance Plains, Great Victoria Desert, Mallee, Murchison, Nullarbor and Yalgoo biogeographic regions of Western Australia.[3][4]

Conservation status

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Grevillea acuaria is listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is a widespread, common species with a stable population and no known threats, either current or in the near future.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Keighery, G.; Olde, P. (2020). "Grevillea acuaria". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T112645630A113307616. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T112645630A113307616.en. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Grevillea acuaria". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Grevillea acuaria". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Grevillea acuaria". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  5. ^ "Grevillea acuaria". APNI. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  6. ^ Bentham, George; von Mueller, Ferdinand (1870). Flora Australiensis. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 452. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  7. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 127. ISBN 9780958034180.