Grevillea sericea

Grevillea sericea is a shrub that typically grows to a height of {{cvt|0.5–2|m}} with angular, ridged, silky-hairy branchlets. The leaves are {{cvt|25–120|mm}} long and {{cvt|2–9|mm}} wide, the size and shape depending on subspecies. The flowers are pink, deep purplish pink, rarely white or reddish, and arranged in clusters, more or less on one side of a rachis {{cvt|15–60|mm}} long, the pistil {{cvt|14–19|mm}} long. Flowering mainly occurs from August to December, and the fruit is a glabrous, narrowly oval to elliptic follicle {{cvt|9–16|mm}} long.{{cite web |title=Grevillea sericea |url=https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Grevillea%20sericea |publisher=Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra |access-date=28 January 2023 |archive-date=23 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123084352/https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Grevillea%20sericea |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last1=Wrigley |first1=John W. |last2=Fagg |first2=Murray A. |title=Banksias, waratahs & grevilleas : and all other plants in the Australian Proteaceae family |date=1991 |publisher=Angus & Robertson |location=North Ryde, NSW, Australia |isbn=0207172773 |page=329}}

This species was first formally described in 1794 by James Edward Smith who gave it the name Embothrium sericeum in his book, A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland.{{cite web|title=Embothrium sericeum|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/544026|publisher=APNI|access-date=28 January 2023}}{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=James E. |title=A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland |date=1794 |volume=1 |publisher=James Sowerby |location=London |pages=25–27 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/217305#page/57/mode/1up |access-date=28 January 2023}} In 1810, Robert Brown transferred it into Grevillea as G. sericea in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.{{cite web|title=Grevillea sericea|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/469394|publisher=APNI|access-date=28 January 2023}}

In 1994, Peter M. Olde and Neil R. Marriott described two subspecies of G. sericea in The Grevillea Book, and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

• Grevillea sericea subsp. riparia (R.Br.) Olde & Marriott{{cite web|title=Grevillea sericea subsp. riparia|url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/165284|publisher=Australian Plant Census|access-date=28 January 2023|archive-date=28 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128031223/https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/165284|url-status=live}} has linear leaves {{cvt|60–120|mm}} long, {{cvt|1–3|mm}} wide, and purplish pink flowers usually amongst the leaves.{{cite web |last1=Makinson |first1=Robert O. |title=Grevillea sericea subsp. riparia |url=https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=in&name=Grevillea~sericea~subsp.+riparia |publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Sydney |access-date=28 January 2023 |archive-date=28 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128031232/https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=in&name=Grevillea~sericea~subsp.+riparia |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Grevillea sericea subsp. riparia |url=https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Grevillea%20sericea%20subsp.%20riparia |publisher=Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra |access-date=28 January 2023 |archive-date=28 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128031222/https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Grevillea%20sericea%20subsp.%20riparia |url-status=live }}
• Grevillea sericea (Sm.) R.Br. subsp. sericea{{cite web|title=Grevillea sericea subsp. sericea|url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/156306|publisher=Australian Plant Census|access-date=28 January 2023|archive-date=28 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128031231/https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/156306|url-status=live}} has egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, to elliptic or narrowly elliptic leaves, usually less than {{cvt|30|mm}} long, {{cvt|3–9|mm}} wide, and deep to pale pink or white flowers usually mostly above the foliage.{{cite web |last1=Makinson |first1=Robert O. |title=Grevillea sericea subsp. sericea |url=https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=in&name=Grevillea~sericea~subsp.+sericea |publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Sydney |access-date=28 January 2023 |archive-date=28 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128031234/https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=in&name=Grevillea~sericea~subsp.+sericea |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Grevillea sericea subsp. sericea |url=https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Grevillea%20sericea%20subsp.%20sericea |publisher=Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra |access-date=28 January 2023}}

Pink spider flower is widespread in New South Wales, and grows in woodland and open forest from near Toronto and Wyee south to near Heathcote, and inland to near Mudgee. Subspecies riparia has a more restricted distribution, growing near permanent streams mainly near the escarpment of the Blue Mountains, along the Grose and Colo Rivers and Glenbrook Creek.

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|position=left}}

{{Taxonbar|from1=Q2712392|from2=Q66104417|from3=Q100453253}}

sericea

Category:Flora of New South Wales

Category:Proteales of Australia

Category:Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)

Category:Plants described in 1810