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 wilkinsonii was first discovered in 1991 along the banks of the Goobarragandra River near Tumut in NSW. It is a shrub 1.5 to 2 metres high x 2 metres wide with oblong, toothed leaves which can be up to 170 mm long by 25 mm wide. The mauve to purple flowers are typical of the “toothbrush”-flowered grevilleas where the individual flowers are arranged in a terminal one-sided raceme. Flowers occur during winter and spring.

This species has only been in cultivation for a short period but appears to be hardy and reliable in temperate climates of the east coast. It prefers well drained soils in a sunny position. The species is performing exceptionally well at the National Botanic Gardens in Canberra and should become a very popular species when plants become more widely available. Like most grevilleas, the flowers attract honey-eating birds.

Because of its rarity, seed is not available but would probably germinate well if “nicked” with a sharp knife prior to sowing. Limited experience indicates that cuttings from firm, current season’s growth strike reliably.

* 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