Grevillea evanescens is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect to spreading shrub with oblong to elliptic leaves and clusters of pale to bright red and cream-coloured flowers.

Grevillea evanescens
In Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens
Conservation status
Priority One — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Proteales
Family:	Proteaceae
Genus:	Grevillea
Species:	G. evanescens
Binomial name
Grevillea evanescens Olde & Marriott[1]

Description

Grevillea evanescens is an erect to spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of 2–3.5 m (6 ft 7 in – 11 ft 6 in). The leaves are oblong to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, or elliptic, 20–45 mm (0.79–1.77 in) long and 2.5–9 mm (0.098–0.354 in) wide. The upper surface of the leaves is more or less glabrous and the lower surface of young leaves is silky-hairy. The flowers are arranged in downcurved clusters of eight to twelve flowers on a rachis 7–15 mm (0.28–0.59 in) long. The flowers are pale to bright red and cream-coloured with a red, green tipped style, the pistil 26–27 mm (1.0–1.1 in) long. Flowering occurs in winter and spring and the fruit is an oblong follicle 10–11 mm (0.39–0.43 in) long.[2][3]

Taxonomy

Grevillea evanescens was first formally described in 1994 by Peter M. Olde and Neil R. Marriott in The Grevillea Book from specimens collected by Olde near Gingin in 1991.[4] The specific epithet (evanescens) means "disappearing", referring to the hairs on the lower leaf surface.[5]

Distribution and habitat

This grevillea grows in sandy soil in Banksia woodland near Gingin, in the Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic region of south-western Western Australia.[2][3]

Conservation status

Grevillea evanescens is listed as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[3] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.[6]

References