Grevillea Poorinda Queen: There are at
least 47 “Poorinda” hybrid Grevilleas. The late Leo Hodge produced them on
his property, Poorinda in Victoria. The first Poorinda hybrids appeared in
1952 and the last in 1968.
The parentage of many of these hybrids is somewhat obscure as Mr. Hodge
cultivated many Grevillea species and cultivars on his property. See
Promiscuous Grevilleas.
Grevillea Poorinda Queen was one of the first of these hybrids
to be released and is one of the most popular. Its parents are said to be a
form of Grevillea juniperina and a yellow-flowering form of Grevillea
victoriae.
Grevillea Poorinda Queen will reach a height of four metres in ideal
conditions. Our specimen is about one metre tall and is about four years old.
Obviously it is not growing in ideal conditions. Dark green linear leaves with
pointed tips and clusters of apricot-pink flowers characterise this hybrid.
Flowers are produced for most of the year. Even our slightly shrunken specimen
is covered in flowers for many months. Eastern Spinebills visit the flowers
and delicately sip the nectar held in the base of the flowers. Crimson
Rosellas are also partial to the nectar. Their method of extraction is to chew
off the flowers.
Grevillea Poorinda Queen is similar in appearance to another popular
hybrid, Grevillea Poorinda Constance. The only difference is flower
colour.
Propagation must be from cuttings in order to
maintain the desirable characteristics of this handsome hybrid.