Grevillea speciosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red spider flower |
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Grevillea
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speciosa
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The Red Spider Flower (Grevillea speciosa) is a beautiful shrub that grows only in New South Wales, Australia. It's known for its bright red, spider-like flowers.
Contents
What the Red Spider Flower Looks Like
This plant is a shrub that can grow quite tall, up to 3 metres (about 10 feet) high. Its leaves can be different shapes, from narrow and oval to more rounded.
The flowers are usually bright red, but sometimes they can be pink. They look a bit like spiders, which is how the plant got its common name! You can mostly see these flowers from late winter to late spring in Australia (August to November). However, you might spot a few flowers at other times of the year too.
Where the Red Spider Flower Grows
The Red Spider Flower is found in and around Sydney, New South Wales. It likes to grow in damp areas within dry sclerophyll woodlands or heathlands. Sclerophyll woodlands are forests where many trees and shrubs have hard, tough leaves to help them survive dry conditions.
How the Red Spider Flower Got Its Name
The Red Spider Flower has had a few different names over the years! It was first described way back in 1793 by a scientist named James Edward Smith. He called it Embothrium sericeum var. major.
Later, in 1809, another gardener named Joseph Knight found the plant again. He gave it a new name, Lysanthe speciosa, because he didn't know it had already been described.
Finally, in 1975, the plant was officially moved into the Grevillea group and named Grevillea speciosa. It wasn't until the year 2000 that scientists realized Smith's original description from 1793 was the first one.
See also
In Spanish: Grevillea speciosa para niños
