GrevilleaBeefwood Desert Grevillea Honey Grevillea Holly Grevillea Rattlepod Grevillea

The Desert Grevillea (Grevillea juncifolia) has striking coloured flowers.

The flowers of the Grevillea juncifolia shrub produce a sweet nectar and is enjoyed not only by birds, but also by Aboriginals who suck the flowers as a sweet treat. They also steep the flowers in water to make a sweet or mildly intoxicating drink.

The erect shrub grows to about 4 metres high and is sometimes referred to by the local Indigenous people as the Wattle Tree Honey. The flower is a golden yellow to orange. The racemes is large, cylindrical shape, opening from the base and can grow up to about 15 cm long. The stalk of the flower cluster are densely hairy and sticky. It has grey-green ascending linear leaves 10-25 cm long. The leaves are simple, striate, grooved below due to revolute margins. There are 2 subspecies.

This plant is widespread in the inland regions of Australia, found growing on sand dunes, spinifex sand plains and sandhills. Grevillea juncifolia is found in the Northern Territory and all mainland states, except Victoria. It is a fairly common plant in the Kings Canyon region, and in the Kings Canyon region.

Common Name
Honeysuckle Grevillea; Honey-suckle Grevillea; Honeysuckle Spider Flower; Desert Grevillea.

More in-depth information can be found in publications and online.


  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Clade: Tracheophytes
  • Clade: Angiosperms
  • Clade: Eudicots
  • Order: Proteales
  • Family: Proteaceae
  • Genus: Grevillea
  • Species: G. juncifolia
  • Binomial name: Grevillea juncifolia

Footnote & References

  1. Desert grevillea or honeysuckle grevillea, Alice Springs Desert Park, https://alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/connect-with-nature/plants/plants/desert-grevillea-or-honeysuckle-grevillea (Retrieved 20 November 2020).
  2. Grevillea juncifolia Hook. Honey-suckle Grevillea, FloraBase – The Western Australian Flora, https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/2026 (Retrieved 20 November 2020).
  3. Grevillea juncifolia, Australian Native Plants Society (Australia), http://anpsa.org.au/g-jun.html (Retrieved 20 November 2020).

GrevilleaBeefwood Desert Grevillea Honey Grevillea Holly Grevillea Rattlepod Grevillea

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