General Description:

Grevillea is a genus of around 380 species, most of which are endemic to Australia but a few species occur in Papua New Guinea and islands to Australia’s north. Further information on the botany, propagation and cultivation of grevilleas can be found in our dedicated Grevillea page.

Most grevilleas are small to medium shrubs but some are prostrate and a few can become large trees. Various species hybridise readily and numerous named cultivars are available resulting from either deliberate breeding or chance hybridization.

Grevillea candelabroides is a large shrub up to 4 metres in height by a similar spread. It has greyish-green, pinnately lobed leaves to around 30 mm long. The white flowers occur in long, branching, candle-like clusters up to 250 mm long. Flowers appear in late spring to summer and are highly scented.

This species is closely related to G.leucopteris and the flowers share with that species a strong, unpleasant aroma often described as resembling “old socks”. Despite this, it is a very spectacular grevillea which should be more widely cultivated, particularly in areas with a Mediterranean-type climate of hot, dry summers and wet winters. In common with many species native to south Western Australia, G.candelabroides is not reliable on its own roots in humid, sub-tropical and tropical areas. It can, however, be grown successfully in those areas if grafted. It prefers a location in well-drained soils in full sun.

Propagation can be carried out from seed (preferably fresh and with the seed coat “nicked” to expose the embryo slightly prior to sowing). Cuttings are usually slow to strike. The species has been successfully grafted using Grevillea robusta (silky oak) as rootstock.

* EPBC Act = Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999;
ROTAP = Rare or Threatened Australian Plants (Briggs and Leigh, 1988)
For further information refer the Australian Plants at Risk page