Grevillea alpina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grevillea alpina |
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| Grevillea alpina in southern Victoria | |
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| Genus: |
Grevillea
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| Species: |
alpina
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Grevillea alpina is a cool Australian shrub with pretty flowers. People call it by fun names like mountain grevillea, alpine grevillea, or even cat's claws. Even though it has "alpine" in its name, it doesn't just grow in cold, high mountains. In fact, it's more common in lower areas! This plant looks different depending on where it grows. There are five main types: small-flowered, Grampians, Northern Victorian, Goldfields, and Southern Hills forms. You can find it in dry forests and woodlands across Victoria and southern New South Wales.
Some Grevillea alpina plants stay low to the ground, while others grow into bigger, spreading bushes. Their flowers come in many colours, like white, green, red, or pink. Sometimes they even have a mix of colours! These curled flowers are about 1 to 3 centimetres (0.4 to 1.2 inches) long. Lots of insects and birds that eat nectar love to visit these flowers.
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What Does Grevillea alpina Look Like?
This plant can look quite different from one place to another. Its size, leaves, and flowers can all vary.
Plant Size and Leaves
Grevillea alpina plants usually grow between 0.3 and 2 metres (1 to 6.5 feet) tall. Their leaves can be long and thin, oval, or shaped like an ellipse. They are generally between 0.5 and 2 centimetres (0.2 to 0.8 inches) long and 1.5 to 4 millimetres (0.06 to 0.16 inches) wide. Both sides of the leaves might be hairy or smooth. The edges of the leaves can also be curled backwards.
Flower Colours and Fruits
The colour of the flowers is one of the most varied things about this plant. The main part of the flower, called the perianth, can be red, orange, or pink. Sometimes, it's even yellow or cream. Often, the colour changes along the flower, so you might see cool red-yellow or red-cream combinations.
Grevillea alpina usually blooms from August to December in its natural home. After the flowers, the plant grows hairy, tough, egg-shaped fruits. These fruits are called follicles and are about 8.5 to 12 millimetres (0.3 to 0.5 inches) long. When they open, they release winged seeds that can fly away.
Where Does Grevillea alpina Grow?
Grevillea alpina is found in many places across Victoria. It spreads north from Melbourne into New South Wales, going through Albury and as far north as Canberra, where it grows on Black Mountain. Its western edge is in the Grampians in Victoria. You can find it in woodlands, heathlands, and areas with mallee trees.
Different Forms of the Plant
In a book about Grevilleas from 1995, experts Peter Olde and Neil Marriott described five main types of Grevillea alpina:
- The Grampians form: This is the original type, with bright orange and yellow flowers.
- The Southern Hills form: You can find this type around Melbourne in places like Lerderderg Gorge, Kinglake, Mount Slide, Mount Evelyn, the Dandenong Ranges, and Cardinia.
- The Goldfields form: This one grows in areas like Castlemaine, Bendigo, and Whroo Forest.
- The Northern Victorian form: This type is seen in places such as the Strathbogie Ranges and the Warby Ranges.
- The small-flowered form: This type is found in Beechworth, Chiltern, Albury, and Canberra. Plants from Tooborac were also thought to be this form, but now experts think they might be a separate type.
Sometimes, Grevillea alpina mixes with other Grevillea species naturally. This creates new hybrid plants. These have been seen with G. lavandulacea, G. dryophylla, and G. obtecta. In New Zealand, hybrids with Grevillea rosmarinifolia have even started growing wild.
Ecology: How it Interacts with Nature
Honeyeater birds are thought to be the main pollinators for Grevillea alpina. This means they help the plant make seeds by moving pollen from one flower to another. Honey bees have been seen drinking nectar from the flowers, but they often do it without touching the pollen, so they aren't as helpful for pollination.
Growing Grevillea alpina
This plant was first grown in gardens in England in 1856. By 1858, it was also being grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. Even though many people grow it, it sometimes doesn't live for a very long time. This is especially true in places with lots of humidity and summer rain. To help with this, gardeners sometimes graft the plant onto different root systems.
Grevillea alpina grows best in dry places and doesn't like too much moisture. If you prune it regularly from a young age, it will grow thicker and less woody.
How to Grow New Plants
You can easily grow new Grevillea alpina plants from seeds, but seeds from garden plants can sometimes create hybrid plants. This happens when the Grevillea alpina mixes with other types like Grevillea rosmarinifolia, Grevillea juniperina, and Grevillea lavandulacea.
To make sure you get a plant that is exactly like the parent plant, it's better to use cuttings. This means taking a small piece of the plant and helping it grow roots.
In 2003, a plant disease called Phytophthora palmivora was found in nurseries in Sicily. This disease caused the roots of potted Grevillea plants to rot and die. Grevillea alpina plants were the most affected by this problem.
Popular Cultivars
There are many different types of Grevillea alpina that gardeners have created or selected. These are called cultivars. Here are some examples:
- 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' - a mix of G. rosmarinifolia and G. alpina (Grampians form)
- 'Coral' - a special seedling of G. alpina (Cardinia form)
- 'Edna Walling Softly Softly' - a mix of G. alpina and G. lanigera 'Blush'
- 'Fireworks' - a mix of G. 'Pink Pixie' and G. alpina
- 'Goldrush' - a mix of G. alpina and G. rosmarinifolia
- 'Grampians Gold' - a specific type of G. alpina
- 'Hills Jubilee' - a complex mix involving G.baueri, G. alpina (Warby Range form), and G. rosmarinifolia 'Lutea'
- 'Jubilee' - a mix of G. rosmarinifolia and G. alpina
- 'Judith' - a selected plant of G. alpina (Cardinia form)
- 'Magic Lantern' - a selected seedling of G. alpina (Cardinia form)
- 'Marion' - a selected seedling of G. alpina (Cardinia form)
- 'McDonald Park' - a mix of G. rosmarinifolia and G. alpina
- 'Olympic Flame' - a selected seedling of G. alpina (Cardinia form)
- 'Poorinda Annette' - a mix of G. juniperina and small flowered form of G. alpina
- 'Poorinda Beauty' - a mix of G. juniperina and G. alpina
- 'Poorinda Belinda' - a mix of G. juniperina and (yellow flower form of G. obtusiflora and G. alpina)
- 'Poorinda Elegance' - a mix of New South Wales form of G. juniperina and G. alpina and G. 'obtusiflora'
- 'Poorinda Golden Lyre' - a mix of G. alpina and G. victoriae
- 'Poorinda Jeanie' - a mix of G. alpina and G. juniperina
- 'Poorinda Rachel' - a mix of G. alpina and G. juniperina
- 'Poorinda Splendour' - a mix of New South Wales form of G. juniperina and G. alpina
- 'Poorinda Tranquillity' - a mix of G, lavandulacea and Grevillea alpina
- 'Tucker Time Entrée' - a mix of G. rosmarinifolia and G. alpina
Many naturally growing forms have also been named after the places they come from. These include Albury, Axedale, Bendigo, Black Mountain, Castlemaine, Chiltern, Grampians, Greta West, Kinglake, Lerderderg Gorge, Morrl Morrl, Mt Dandenong, Mt Ida, Mt Pleasant, Mt Slide, Mt Zero, Murphys Hill, One Tree Hill, Porcupine Ridge, Pyalong, Reef Hills, Rushworth, Seymour, South Mandurang, St Arnaud, Strathbogies, Tallarook, Tamminack Gap, Tawonga Gap, Tooborac, Warby Range, Whorouly and Wombat State Forest.
Images for kids
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small-flowered form
See also
In Spanish: Grevillea alpina para niños
