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 juncifolia is an erect shrub, 4-7 metres in height with a distinct greyish appearance. There are two subspecies, subsp. juncifolia and subsp.temulenta. The latter is confined to Western Australia and differs from the type species in that it always has simple leaves whereas subsp.juncifolia usually has divided leaves.

The leaves are linear, grey with fine hairs, held erect and may be simple or finely divided. Leaves or lobes are only 0.5-2mm wide and may be up to 30 cm long. The golden-yellow flowers appear in winter and spring and are normally held erect except when the weight of the inflorescence dictates otherwise. Copious quantities of nectar are produced which attract many birds and insects.

G.juncifolia has as its normal range the very drier parts of Australia and has not been cultivated to any great extent. It is a spectacular flowering plant for inland gardens but is not reliable in more humid areas.

Propagation may be carried out from seed and germination is improved if the seed is carefully “nicked” with a sharp knife to expose the embryo. Cuttings of current season’s growth are also successful and the species has been successfully grafted using Grevillea robusta as rootstock.