Grevillea > Grevillea Index

The Rattlepod Grevillea (Grevillea stenobotrya) gets its’ common name from the noise the seeds in the dry pods make when shaken, a rattling noise. The pods have been used by Aboriginal people as rhythmic instruments for ceremonial purposes.

The name comes from the Greek word stenos (narrow) and botrys (bunch of grapes).

Rattlepod grevillea (Grevillea stenobotrya)
Rattlepod Grevillea (Grevillea stenobotrya)

Endemic to the arid regions of Australia, prefer to grow on red or yellow sand dunes and swales, as well as open shrubland on sandplains. The plant are about 1.5 metres tall, growing to about 6 metres in height.

Rattlepod Grevillea (Grevillea stenobotrya), Alice Springs Desert Park NT
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) feeding on the Rattlepod Grevillea (Grevillea stenobotrya), Alice Springs NT

The leaves are linear, occasionally divided, growing to between 5 to 25 cm long. The flowers are cream to pale yellow (on some young shrubs, they start off with a touch of green and deeper yellow) and appear in clustered spikes at the end of the branches. The fruit is flat and rounded with a short beak, and were eaten by the local Aboriginal people. The leaves have medicinal properties. In the mature shrubs, the flowers have a more cylindrical shape and are very much a cream to pale yellow in colour.

Rattlepod Grevillea (Grevillea stenobotrya), Alice Springs Desert Park NT
Rattlepod Grevillea (Grevillea stenobotrya), Alice Springs NT

Common name
Rattle-pod Grevillea, Sandhill Grevillea, Sandhill Spider Flower, Sandhill Drevilles.


  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Clade: Tracheophytes
  • Clade: Angiosperms
  • Clade: Eudicots
  • Order: Proteales
  • Family: Proteaceae
  • Genus: Grevillea
  • Species: Grevillea stenobotrya
Rattlepod Grevillea (Grevillea stenobotrya), Alice Springs Desert Park NT
Rattlepod Grevillea (Grevillea stenobotrya), Alice Springs Desert Park NT

GrevilleaGrevillea Index Grevillea cagiana Grevillea eriostachya (Honey Grevillea) Grevillea fasciculata Grevillea juncifolia (Desert Grevillea) Grevillea stenobotrya (Rattlepod Grevillea) Grevillea striata (Beefwood) Grevillea wickhamii (Holly Grevillea)

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