Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Grevillea rhyolitica

Flowering stems (subsp. rhyolitica). Photographer Don Wood, Donalds Creek west of Moruya

Flower clusters, young seed cases, and leaves (subsp. rhyolitica). Photographer Jackie Miles

Seed cases and leaves (subsp. rhyolitica). Photographer Jackie Miles

Flower cluster (subsp. semivestita). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens north of Moruya

Shrub. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens north of Moruya

Common name

Deua grevillea, Deua flame

Family

Proteaceae

Where found

Forest and stream banks. Tablelands and ranges between Araluen and west of Narooma. Plants recorded at Moruya and Narooma are probably planted.

subsp. rhyolitica:  Ranges north from west of Narooma to west of Moruya.

subsp. semivestita:  Ranges west and north of Moruya. Tablelands and ranges near Araluen.

Notes

Shrub to 2.5 m high. Leaves alternating up the stems, 4–11 cm long, 10–25 mm wide, margins entire, upper surface hairless or with a few hairs especially near the midvein;, lower surface exposed, sparsely to moderately hairy. Flowers with 4 'petals' joined together in pairs, 'petals' red to yellow, hairy outside, bearded inside. Gynoecium 16–20 mm long. Flowers in many-flowered clusters, curved down to hanging down. Flowers September–December.

In the absence of specific information, seeds of all species of Grevillea have been keyed as having one wing.

subsp. rhyolitica:  lower surface of leaves sparsely hairy with 2-branched hairs (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see), often also with simple glandular hairs. Outer surface of the 'petals' with simple erect hairs mixed among 2-branched hairs (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see) usually confined to the basal third, occasionally more extensive.

subsp. semivestita:  lower surface of leaves with scattered minute closely appressed 2-branched hairs (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see); surface sometimes appearing hairless. Outer surface of the 'petals' with simple hairs mixed among 2-branched hairs (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see) distributed over the whole surface, including the free lobes.

PlantNET description of species and key to subspecies:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Grevillea~rhyolitica  (accessed 19 January, 2021)