Flame spider-flower facts for kids

The Flame Spider-flower (Grevillea kennedyana) is a special type of sprawling shrub. It belongs to the Grevillea family. You can only find this plant in a tiny area of Australia. Its natural home is smaller than 100 kilometers across. Because it's so rare, it's listed as a vulnerable plant. This means it needs protection to survive.

What it Looks Like

The Flame Spider-flower is a bushy shrub with many branches. It can grow up to 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) tall. It can also spread out to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) wide. Its branches feel soft because they are covered in fine hairs.

These plants often grow close together in groups of 4 to 8. Their branches can intertwine, making a big leafy area. This combined canopy can be 3 to 5 square meters. The plant often looks a bit greyish.

Its flowers are very pretty, ranging from orange-red to bright red or even pink. They bloom from July to November. Each flower is about 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters long. They grow in small groups of 8 to 20 flowers at the ends of branches. The outside of the flowers is smooth, but the inside is "bearded" with hairs.

The plant has thin, sharp leaves. They are about 12 to 25 millimeters long and very narrow. The leaves are stiff and slightly clustered. They have a soft, hairy underside.

After flowering, the plant produces fruit. This fruit is about 12 to 17 millimeters long. Inside, there is a seed that has a small wing. This wing might help the seed travel.

Plant Family and Name

The Flame Spider-flower is quite unique. It isn't closely related to most other Grevillea species in Australia. However, it does share some features with other Grevillea plants. These are found in dry and semi-dry areas of southwestern Australia.

Scientists think this plant is a "relict species." This means it's a leftover from a time when Australia's dry interior was smaller. It isn't well-suited for deep sandy soils.

G. kennedyana was named by Ferdinand von Mueller. He named it after Mrs. Mary B. Kennedy, who lived in Wonnaminta.

Where it Lives

Restricted distribution of Grevillea kennedyana

The Flame Spider-flower lives in a very specific area. You can only find it in the northwest part of New South Wales (NSW). It also lives in the southwest part of Queensland (QLD). These areas are very dry and don't get much rain.

As of 2000, the plant was found in only six different spots. A huge 90% of these plants live inside the Sturt National Park. However, even there, the groups of plants are quite spread out.

You might sometimes find this plant in dry, rocky creek beds. But it mostly grows in clusters on rocky hills. It likes slopes with weathered rocks and loamy soils. The biggest groups of these plants are found on lower slopes. These spots hold water well because of deep soil and rock fragments.

The Flame Spider-flower grows at altitudes between 140 and 200 meters. It can be found on slopes that are gently sloped (10 degrees) or very steep (75 degrees). These plants usually grow where there are few or no other trees or shrubs.

Scientists are still studying the other plants that grow near G. kennedyana. So far, they know it grows with plants like the spiny fan-flower (Scaevola spinescens). It also grows with whitewood (Atalaya hemiglauca), Acacia species, and Eremophila species. Sometimes, black oak (Casuarina pauper) is also present.

Life Cycle of the Plant

Scientists don't know a lot about how G. kennedyana lives and grows. They don't know how long the plant lives for. But they guess it lives for a long time. This is common for plants in dry areas, as rainfall is very unpredictable.

This plant can grow new individuals from its underground stems, called rhizomes. This means the new plants are clones of the parent plant. It can also regrow from buds at the base of its stems. New growth can even start if the plant gets a bit damaged.

The plant usually flowers 2 to 4 months after a big rain. But if it's a dry season, flowering can be irregular. Scientists still don't know how much rain is needed for it to flower. The fruit is thought to ripen 6 to 8 weeks after the flowers are pollinated.

We don't know which animals pollinate the flowers. But scientists think birds might be the ones. The seeds are spread soon after they ripen. How they spread is not fully understood. However, the small wings on the seeds likely help them travel.

Another mystery is how long the seeds can stay dormant (asleep). Other Grevillea species can stay dormant for up to four years. New plants growing from seeds likely depend on a mix of good rainfall and the right temperature. Young seedlings that sprout in summer might struggle. This is because of high temperatures and dry soil.

Why it Needs Protection

The Flame Spider-flower is listed as 'vulnerable' under Australian laws. This means it's not in immediate danger of disappearing. But it could be at risk in the next 20 to 50 years. Most of these plants live in a national park. This helps protect them.

What Harms the Plant

Scientists aren't sure why G. kennedyana is so rare. But they have some ideas. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services suggested a few things. These include minor habitat damage from animals eating the plants. Also, changes in how fire was used before Europeans arrived might have hurt the plant. Later studies also suggested that animals eating the seeds could be a problem.

Fire

Before Europeans settled in Australia, Indigenous Australians used fire to manage the land. These fire practices changed when Europeans arrived. We don't know how this change affected the Flame Spider-flower. Fire isn't needed for the plant to release its seeds. But some think it might help break seed dormancy. More research is needed on this.

Grazing

The Flame Spider-flower seems to be tough against animals eating it. It survived a lot of grazing by farm animals from the 1890s to the mid-1900s. Rabbits and native animals like kangaroos also eat the plant. Scientists think this grazing might be why not many new seedlings are growing.

Seed Predation

It's possible that insects, mammals, and birds are eating the seeds. Other Grevillea species have problems with seeds being eaten. This could be a reason why not many new Flame Spider-flowers are growing.

Can it Recover?

The groups of G. kennedyana plants seem quite stable. They have been watched for the last six years. There's no sign that the number of plants is dropping fast. The plant's ability to survive heavy grazing is a good sign. Wild populations are likely to last for at least another 50 to 100 years. However, the lack of new seedlings is a worry for its long-term survival. Its rarity is probably due to natural changes over time.

Recovery Plan

Since most G. kennedyana plants are in Sturt National Park, a plan has been made to help them. The National Parks and Wildlife Service created this plan. It has three main goals:

• To protect and watch all known groups of plants.
• To find and manage things that threaten the plant's survival and growth.
• To get the community involved in protecting the plant. This means working with landowners and managers to improve how they deal with threats.

Uses

Most Grevillea species have a sweet, honey-like liquid. This liquid is safe for humans to eat. The Flame Spider-flower has a lot of this clear, sweet liquid. You can even shake it from the flowers! However, because there's so much liquid, it's hard to keep the flowers preserved.

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