Grevillea evansiana explained

Grevillea evansiana, commonly known as Evans grevillea,^[1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is a low, dense, spreading shrub with elliptic leaves and usually blackish-red flowers with a burgundy-coloured style.

Description

Grevillea evansiana is a low, dense, spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of up to, rarely to and has branchlets covered with white, woolly hairs. Its leaves are usually elliptic, long and wide, the lower surface sillky-hairy. The flowers are arranged in more or less spherical clusters, usually on a peduncle long, on the ends of branchlets. The flowers are usually blackish-red with a burgundy style, rarely white with a greenish-cream style, the pistil long and the style strongly curved. Flowering occurs from August to December and the fruit is a glabrous, oblong follicle long.^{[2] [3]}

Taxonomy

Grevillea evansiana was first formally described in 1953 by Hugh Shaw MacKee in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales from specimens he collected near the Cudgegong River in the Rylstone area in 1951.^{[4] [5]} The specific epithet (evansiana) honours Obed David Evans.

Distribution and habitat

Evans grevillea usually grows in forest or woodland, sometimes in swampy heath and is only known from east of Rylstone in New South Wales.

Conservation status

Grevillea evansiana has two vastly different conservation statuses.

It is listed as Vulnerable under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the New South Wales Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.^[6]

However, under an assessment published in 2020 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, it has been listed as Least Concern. Although it has a limited range, its population is assumed stable and its threats are not major enough to warrant a threatened or near-threatened category. Altered fire regimes causing too frequent wildfires could pose a threat to some of the species' populations.^[7]

Both the IUCN and the EPBC Act have identified habitat disturbance and trampling from recreational activities as a threat to the species.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Makinson . Robert O. . Grevillea evansiana . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 17 April 2022.
2. Web site: Makinson . Robert O. . Grevillea evansiana . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment . 20 February 2022.
3. Web site: Evans Grevillea - profile . New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage . 17 April 2022.
4. Web site: Grevillea evansiana. APNI. 17 April 2022.
5. MacKee . Hugh S. . An Undescribed Species Of Grevillea from the Rylstone District. . Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales . 1953 . 78 . 3–4 . 49–50 . 17 April 2022.
6. Web site: Approved Conservation Advice for Grevillea evansiana (Evans Grevillea) . Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment . 17 April 2022.
7. Makinson, R. . Ford, A. . 2020 . Grevillea evansiana . 2020 . e.T113017198A113309350 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T113017198A113309350.en . 10 January 2024.