''Grevillea involucrata'', also known as Lake Varley grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Proteaceae The Proteaceae form a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae, they make up the order Pro ...

and 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 ...

to the south-west of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It is an openly-branched, prostrate or low-lying shrub with divided leaves with parallel, oblong to linear lobes, and pink flowers with a pinkish-red style.

Description

''Grevillea intricata'' is an openly-branched, prostrate to low-lying shrub that typically grows to a height of and up to wide. Its leaves are long, wide and divided with parallel oblong to linear lobes long and wide. The edges of the leaflets are rolled under, enclosing most of the lower surface. The flowers are arranged singly, in pairs or threes in leaf axils or on the ends of branches on a rachis long, the

pistil Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

long. The flowers are pale to dark pink with a reddish-pink style. Flowering occurs from June to October and the fruit is a hairy, oblong to elliptic follicle long.

Taxonomy

''Grevillea involucrata'' was first formally in 1974 by botanist

Alex George Alexander or Alex George may refer to: *Alex George (botanist) (born 1939), Australian botanist * Alexander L. George (1920–2006), American political scientist * Alexander George (philosopher), American philosopher *Alex George (motorcyclist), Sc ...

in the journal ''

Nuytsia ''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during the ...

'', based on plant material he collected between Hyden and Lake Varley in 1970. 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 ...

(''involucrata'') means "having leaves or bracts surrounding the base of the flowers".

Distribution and habitat

Lake Varley grevillea grows in low, open shrubland in scattered location between

Lake Grace A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

, Hyden, Holt Rock and Lake Magenta in the

Mallee bioregion Mallee, also known as Roe Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia. Located between the Esperance Plains, Avon Wheatbelt and Coolgardie bioregions, it has a low, gently undulating topography, a semi-arid me ...

of south-western Western Australia.

Conservation status

''Grevillea involulacrata'' is listed as "

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...

" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...

, meaning that it is in danger of extinction.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2712415 involucrata Eudicots of Western Australia Proteales of Australia Plants described in 1974 Taxa named by Alex George