Few-flowered grevillea facts for kids

The Grevillea pauciflora, also known as the few-flowered grevillea, is a cool shrub found in Western Australia. It belongs to a large group of plants called Grevillea. You can spot this plant growing along the south coast in areas like the Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance regions.

What is the Few-Flowered Grevillea?

This plant is a type of shrub that grows upright, but can look a bit straggly. It usually reaches a height of about 0.7 to 2 metres (2 to 7 ft), which is like being as tall as a person or a bit taller. Its branches are smooth and don't have a waxy coating.

The leaves of the few-flowered grevillea are simple and flat. They are shaped like a narrow oval or a long, thin line. Each leaf can be about 55 to 70 millimetres (2.2 to 2.8 in) long and 1.5 to 7 millimetres (0.1 to 0.3 in) wide.

Flowers and Fruit

This grevillea blooms from July to December, which is during winter and spring in Australia. Its flowers grow in clusters called racemes that can be found at the end of branches or where leaves meet the stem. The flowers are bright red and have red styles, which are part of the flower's reproductive system.

After the flowers, the plant forms its fruit. These fruits are wrinkled and shaped like an oval. They are smooth and measure about 10 to 16 mm (0.4 to 0.6 in) long.

Why is it Called 'Few-Flowered'?

The second part of the plant's scientific name, pauciflora, comes from Latin. In Latin, 'pauci' means 'few' and 'flora' means 'flowers'. So, pauciflora literally means 'few-flowered'. This name describes how many flowers you might see on the plant.

Different Types of Few-Flowered Grevillea

Scientists have found that there are two main types, or subspecies, of the few-flowered grevillea:

• Grevillea pauciflora subsp. leptophylla
• Grevillea pauciflora subsp. pauciflora