Grevillea curviloba facts for kids

Grevillea curviloba is a special kind of shrub that grows in Perth, Western Australia. It can be a low-growing plant that spreads out, or it can stand tall. This plant is unique because it's found only in this part of the world.

It can grow up to about 2.5 meters (8 feet) tall. It can also spread out quite wide, from 3 to 4.6 meters (10 to 15 feet) across.

This plant has pretty white or cream-colored flowers. You can see these flowers from late winter to mid-spring. In Australia, this means they bloom from August to October.

How Grevillea curviloba Got Its Name

Plants get their scientific names from botanists, who are scientists who study plants. Grevillea curviloba was first described in 1845 by a Swiss botanist named Carl Meissner. He thought it was a type of Grevillea vestita.

Later, in 1986, an Australian botanist named Donald McGillivray studied it more closely. He decided it was different enough to be its own species. So, he gave it the name Grevillea curviloba.

Different Types of Grevillea curviloba

Within the Grevillea curviloba species, there are two main types, called subspecies:

• Grevillea curviloba subsp. curviloba
• Grevillea curviloba subsp. incurva Olde & Marriott

The incurva subspecies has been grown in gardens for many years. Sometimes, people mistakenly called it by other names, like Grevillea biternata or Grevillea tridentifera.

Protecting Grevillea curviloba

One of the subspecies, Grevillea curviloba subsp. incurva, is considered rare. This means there are not many of these plants left in the wild. Because it's rare, it is protected by a law called the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. This law helps to keep special plants and animals safe.

Growing Grevillea curviloba in Gardens

Grevillea curviloba is a popular plant for gardens. Plant nurseries grow it to sell to people who want to make their gardens look nice. It's also great for drought-tolerant landscaping. This means it can grow well even when there isn't much water.

Gardeners can grow it as an upright shrub. Or, if they choose the low-growing types, it can spread out like a 2 feet (0.61 m) tall and 15 feet (4.6 m) wide groundcover. A groundcover is a plant that grows low to the ground and covers a large area.

Images for kids

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  This is how Grevillea curviloba looks near Muchea.

See also

In Spanish: Grevillea curviloba para niños