From Frederick Bailey   16 January 1883

Queensland Museum.

Brisbane January 16th 1883

Dear Baron Mueller

Our friend Father Scortechini and another¹ brought from Stanthorpe² a Grevillea which at first sight appeared to be new He has forwarded it to you.³ What do you make of it? It seems to differ from G. ilicifolia only in the more prostrate habit, and in the fruit perhaps? From G. aquifolium in the fewer teeth or lobes to the leaves in⁴ in the stigma being concave not convex in the centre. In fact I think G. aquifolium G. ilicifolia & this species from Stanthorpe are mere forms of one, but over leaf you will see my description of the plant⁵ nothing there is enough to separate it from the others yet it looks different You will of course diagnose it more critically and then it may stand as a species our Rev friend believes it new.

Plant prostrate, branches rusty tomentose. Leaves 1½ to 2 in. long cuneate, the upper part shortly 3 to 5 lobed each lobe ending in a sharp spine the upper surface glabrous, recticulateous prominent – the under surface closely fitted with a silvery or slightly reddish tomentum, petioles about ¼ in. long. Inflorescence terminal appearing lateral from the growing of the shoot. Racemes decussed solitary or sometimes 2 together about 1½in. long flowers crowded on pedicels of about 1½ lines. Perianth silky outside glabrous inside, tube revolute about 3 lines long. Torus —⁶ ovary stipitate silky. Style stout dark, glabrous stigmatic disk oblique concave. Fruit oblique acuminate about ⅓ in. long silky marked with several dark brown lines. Seeds oblong without wings.

Yours very truly

F. M. Bailey⁷

Grevillea aquifolium

Grevillea ilicifolia