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 ‘Poorinda Royal Mantle’ is one of a large number of ‘Poorinda’ cultivars that were released to the horticultural trade during the 1970s and 1980s. While some of these have become well entrenched in cultivation, many were not especially notable and have tended to be superseded by more recent cultivars. Some of the better ‘Poorindas’ include ‘Poorinda Royal Mantle’, ‘Poorinda Queen’, ‘Poorinda Elegance’, ‘Poorinda Constance;’ and ‘Poorinda Blondie’.

Grevillea ‘Poorinda Royal Mantle’ is apparently a garden hydrid whose parents are believed to be G.laurifolia and G.willisii. It is a spreading, prostrate shrub which can reach 3 metres or more in diameter. The leaves are about 15 cm long x 4.5 cm wide and may be lobed or entire. The flowers are typical of the “toothbrush”-flowered grevilleas where the individual flowers are arranged in a terminal one-sided raceme. In ‘Royal Mantle’, the colour is a bright, tomato red and appear in spring and summer.

The plant is a hardy and reliable cultivar which is extensively cultivated in a wide range of climates. It requires reasonably drained soils in full sun or semi-shade. It is a large plant and does require room to expand although it responds well to pruning. It is tolerant of moderate to heavy frosts.

G. ‘Royal Mantle’ rarely, if ever, produces viable seed but, if it does, seed will not come true to type. Propagation is reasonably easy from cuttings of hardened, current season’s growth. Grafting onto tall rootstocks of G.robusta has been carried out fairly extensively to produce a weeping standard.