Grevillea paradoxa F.Muell.

Common Name and Growth Form

Grevillea paradoxa, commonly known as bottlebrush grevillea, is an erect, open, spreading shrub that typically grows 0.5 to 2 metres (1 foot 8 inches to 6 feet 7 inches) tall, and has prickly foliage.

Leaf Structure

Its leaves are 15 to 55 millimetres (0.59 to 2.17 inches) long and pinnatipartite, with 3 to 9 widely spreading, sharply pointed, linear lobes. Each lobe usually divides at least once, and the end lobes measure 5 to 20 millimetres (0.20 to 0.79 inches) long and 0.5 to 1.5 millimetres (0.020 to 0.059 inches) wide.

Flower Arrangement and Color

The flowers are arranged in erect, cylindrical clusters on a rachis that is 40 to 80 millimetres (1.6 to 3.1 inches) long, and are pale to dark pink or cream-coloured. The pistil is 15 to 18 millimetres (0.59 to 0.71 inches) long, and the style is pinkish-red or pale pink to cream.

Flowering Period and Fruit

Flowering occurs mainly from June to October, and the fruit is an oval, hairy follicle 8 to 13 millimetres (0.31 to 0.51 inches) long.

Habitat

This species grows in mallee scrub and shrubland, and is widespread across areas between Mullewa, Wubin, Kondinin, Kalgoorlie and the Die Hardy Range.

Distribution

It occurs in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Geraldton Sandplains, Mallee, Murchison and Yalgoo bioregions of south-western Western Australia.

Horticultural Hybrid

In horticulture, the popular garden hybrid Grevillea 'Dorothy Gordon' has G. paradoxa as one parent, with the other parent being G. sessilis.