''Grevillea dilatata'' is a species of plant in the protea family that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is native to south-eastern

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, including Kangaroo Island as well as the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas.

Description

''Grevillea dilatata'' is a shrub that grows up to tall and up to across. Leaves appear 'fan-shaped' with margins appearing more 'toothed' than lobed and noticeably pungent. The upper surface of the leaf is either glabrous or with sparse indumentum. The lower surface is always covered in subsericious (straight, silky) hairs.

Taxonomy

This species was once considered part of '' Grevillea ilicifolia,'' where it was known as ''Grevillea ilicifolia var. dilatata.'' A morphological study published in 2004 resulted in G. ''ilicifolia'' being separated into three species and four subspecies. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''dilatata'') is a Latin word meaning "expanded" or "widened". In some publications, it is still referred to as ''Grevillea ilicifolia'' var. ''dilatata''.

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in mallee, heath and shrubland habitats in south-eastern South Australia, including the York and Eyre peninsulas and Kangaroo Island.

Conservation status

''Grevillea dilatata'' is listed as Vulnerable on the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

, as it has lost 30% of its habitat from the 1980s to now due to land clearing for agriculture. It is currently threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation for agriculture and competition with invasive weeds. The population ia likely to be currently stable and it appears to be locally common within its distribution.

References

dilatata Proteales of Australia Endemic flora of Australia Flora of South Australia Plants described in 1830 Flora of Kangaroo Island {{Australia-eudicot-stub