''Grevillea linearifolia'', commonly known as linear-leaf 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 to New South Wales. It is an open, erect shrub with linear to narrowly elliptic leaves, and clusters of white flowers.

Description

''Grevillea linearifolia'' is an erect, open shrub that typically grows to a height of and has ridged, silky-hairy branchlets. Its leaves are linear to narrowly elliptic, mostly long and wide, sometimes arranged singly, or in clusters of three. The flowers are arranged, usually in large groups held above the leaves, on the ends of branches on a

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

long. The flowers are white, silky-hairy on the outside, sometimes with a faint pink tinge, and the Gynoecium#Pistils, pistil is long with a hooked Style (botany), style. Flowering mainly occurs from August to December, but also sporadically in other months and the fruit is a narrowly oval Follicle (fruit), follicle long.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1798 by Antonio José Cavanilles, Cavanilles, who gave it the name ''Embothrium linearifolium'' in his ''Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum'' from specimens collected near Port Jackson. In George Claridge Druce, George Druce changed the name to ''Grevillea linearifolia'' in the supplement to ''The Botanical Exchange Club and Society of the British Isles Report for 1916''. The Binomial nomenclature, specific epithet (''linearifolia'') means "linear-leaved". The taxonomic limits of ''G. linearifolia'' are difficult to establish. In addition to variations between populations, the species is said to form "an intergrading complex" with ''Grevillea parviflora, G. parviflora'', and may intergrade with ''Grevillea patulifolia, G. patulifolia'' and/or Grevillea humilis, ''G. humilis'' subsp. ''humilis''. It is also known to Hybrid (biology), hybridise often with ''Grevillea sericea, G. sericea'', and occasional hybrids with Grevillea diffusa, ''G. diffusa'' subsp. ''filipendula'' have also been reported.

Distribution and habitat

Linear-leaved grevillea grows in moist but well-drained soils, mostly sandy soils over sandstone amongst shrubby eucalypt woodland. It occurs mainly from Gosford, New South Wales, Gosford and Putty, New South Wales, Putty, south to the Parramatta River and Port Jackson. There are also some disjunct populations that differ slightly from the Gosford form, but have been placed provisionally in this species. These occur near Lawson, New South Wales, Lawson in the lower Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains, just inland from Ulladulla, New South Wales, Ulladulla, and near Nowra, New South Wales, Nowra. Records of the species from Victoria are considered to be to a range of other species, specifically ''Grevillea alpivaga, G. alpivaga'', ''Grevillea neurophylla, G. neurophylla'', ''Grevillea patulifolia, G. patulifolia'', ''Grevillea gariwerdensis, G. gariwerdensis and ''Grevillea micrantha, G. micrantha''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5233041 Grevillea, linearifolia Flora of New South Wales Proteales of Australia Plants described in 1798 Taxa named by Antonio José Cavanilles