Grevillea eriostachya

Grevillea eriostachya is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–3 m (3 ft 3 in – 9 ft 10 in) and has a leafy base with long, arching flowering branches covered with woolly hairs. The leaves are 50–300 mm (2.0–11.8 in) long, those on the flowering stems linear, other leaves sometimes with two to seven linear lobes, the leaves or lobes mostly 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. The flowers are borne above the foliage in sometimes branched, conical groups of about 100 to 200 flowers on peduncles up to 400 mm (16 in) long, the rachis 75–200 mm (3.0–7.9 in) long, the flowers at the base of each group opening first. The flowers are green in bud, later bright yellow and woolly-hairy, the pistil 14.5–22 mm (0.57–0.87 in) long. Flowering occurs in all months and the fruit is a follicle 15–22 mm (0.59–0.87 in) long.[5][3][4][6]

Grevillea eriostachya was first formally described in 1840 by John Lindley in A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony.[7][8] The specific epithet (eriostachya) means "woolly flower-spike".[9]

Flame grevillea grows in heath or shrub on sandplains and is widespread in arid and semi-arid areas of Western Australia, the south-west of the Northern Territory and far north-western South Australia.[2][3][4][5]

Nectar-eating birds are attracted to the flowers.[6]

Because of the sweet taste of the shrub's flowers, Aboriginal Australians used it as a sweetener and to add variety to their meals.[10]