Species: Grevillea dimorpha
Family: Proteaceae
Derivation:

Grevillea: After Charles Francis Greville (1749-1809), a correspondent of Robert Brown and one of the founders of the Royal Horticultural Society.

dimorpha: From the Greek dimorpha, meaning with two forms, referring to the variable leaves.

Common Name: Flame Grevillea
Distribution: Endemic to the Grampians in western Victoria, usually in moist areas of dry sclerophyll forest or heath, growing in sandy loams over a sandstone base.
Description: A medium shrub up to 2m high, usually shorter, with variable leaves up to 15cm long. As the botanical name suggests, the two main forms are the narrow leaf, with linear leaves a couple of millimetres wide, and the broad leaf, with leaves up to 80mm wide, but there are many plants intermediate between these two extremes. Also, as the common name suggests, the flowers are bright, flame red, appearing from mid winter for long periods.
Opinion: Some forms of this species are absolute stunners. The best example I have seen lives on Boronia Peak in the Grampians. A beautiful, dense, compact shrub with broadish leaves and covered in its signature, flame-coloured flowers, it is growing right on the peak, minimal soil, maximum exposure to wind and sun. Good drainage though, as it is several hundred metres straight down from the edge of the ledge it resides on. Of course, the rest of the view from this lofty position had nothing to do with my appreciation of the plant, nor the fact that I was buggered from the walk to get there in the first place (or more to the point, the effort in getting Cathy, who adores clambering up cliffs, up there).

My plant, a nursery grown specimen, couldn’t be more of a contrast. It is a spindly, open, straggly example that is determined to ignore my efforts to thicken it up with judicious tip pruning. Planted at the southern end of the backyard, underneath the Spotted Gum, it’s not particularly sheltered and it’s well drained by the big tree sucking up any moisture available in the general area. The problem must be in the quality of the soil it’s in, perhaps I should dig it up and plonk it on a couple of rocks with a bit of gravel in between. At least the flowers live up to its name, the local honeyeaters more than willing to forgive the look of the rest of the plant for a taste of the offerings presented.

Sources: Corrick and Fuhrer- Wildflowers of Victoria.
Sharr- Plant Names and their Meanings.
Olde and Marriott- The Grevillea Book, Volume 2.