Carnarvon grevillea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carnarvon grevillea |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Grevillea
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| Species: |
cyranostigma
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The Carnarvon grevillea (Grevillea cyranostigma) is a special type of shrub. It is also known as the green grevillea. This plant grows only in Queensland, Australia. It is found nowhere else in the world!
A scientist named Don McGillivray officially described this plant in 1975. He gave it the name cyranostigma. This name comes from a famous play called Cyrano de Bergerac. The main character, Cyrano, has a very long nose. The plant's long stigma (a part of its flower) reminded McGillivray of Cyrano's nose.
The first sample of this plant was collected a long time ago, between 1890 and 1895. It was found by Harriette Biddulph. She lived at Mount Playfair Station and was well-known for collecting plants from the Carnarvon Range.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The Carnarvon grevillea is a shrub that spreads out and has many branches. It can grow to be about 0.5 to 2 meters (20 inches to 7 feet) tall.
Leaves and Flowers
Its leaves are simple and shiny. They are somewhat oval-shaped. Each leaf is about 2 to 5.5 centimeters (0.8 to 2.2 inches) long. They are also about 0.5 to 1.1 centimeters (0.2 to 0.4 inches) wide.
The flowers are a pale green color. They usually appear in winter and spring, from June to October. Each group of flowers (called an inflorescence) has several individual flowers. The pistil (the part of the flower that receives pollen) is quite long, about 16 to 17.5 millimeters. After the flowers, the plant grows oval-shaped fruits called follicles. These fruits are about 14 to 15 millimeters long.
How It's Different from Similar Plants
The Carnarvon grevillea is related to other grevillea plants like Grevillea sericea and G. victoriae. You can tell it apart because its leaves are shinier than G. sericea. Also, its flowers have less hair than both G. sericea and G. victoriae.
Where Does It Live?
This plant only grows in the Carnarvon Range in Central Queensland. It likes to live on rocky slopes where the soil is sandy. You can find it in dry sclerophyll forests. These are forests with tough, dry leaves.
The Carnarvon grevillea is a protected species. This means it is safe within the Carnarvon National Park.
Growing It in Gardens
People have grown the Carnarvon grevillea in gardens in cities like Brisbane and Melbourne. It seems to grow well when cared for by people. However, it does not like long periods without water. Most people who grow this plant are collectors or big fans of grevilleas.
