Grevillea banksii R.Br., Proteaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 8 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Bank's grevillea, kahili flower, red silky-oak, silky oak

Hawaiian: ha‘iku, kāhili, ‘oka pua ‘ula‘ula

Habit:  tree

Description:  "A small tree, partly deciduous, with gray to reddish hairy young branches.  Leaves 4 to 8 inches long, compound, with three to seven sharply pointed leaflets, blades oval to lanceolate, broader toward base, grayish hair below, hairy to hairless above.  Flowers showy, in pairs in axils of deciduous small bracts, in straight 2- to 4-inch-long racemes; calyx tube over 1/2 inch long, red; stamens short, style 1 to 2 inches long, red;  stigma yellow.  Fruit a follicle, brown, leathery, densely hairy, 1/2 to 1 inch long, tipped with a slender curved style.  Seed flat."  (Haselwood, 1991).

Habitat/ecology:  This noxious, medium-sized, evergreen tree is similar to silky oak  [Grevillea robusta] in most features (C.W. Smith, 1985; p. 191). "Infests pastures and natural areas in mesic areas. Fruit and ovaries may cause dermatitis and pollen may trigger hay fever; foliage poisonous to horses"  (Motooka et al., 2003).

Propagation:  Wind-dispersed seed.

Native range:  Australia.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	cultivated	Sykes, Bill (year unknown)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 751-752) Vouchers cited: DA 12350, DA 6055 Perhaps locally naturalized.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1961) (voucher ID: BISH 14598) Taxon name on voucher: Grevillea banksii R.Br.
French Polynesia French Polynesia Islands	French Polynesia Islands	cultivated	? (year unknown)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1982) (voucher ID: BISH 494028) Taxon name on voucher: Grevillea banksii R.Br.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1086) Voucher cited: Rock s. n. (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaho‘olawe Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1086)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced	Wester, Lyndon (1992) (p. 147)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1086)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1086)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Ni‘ihau Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1086)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1086)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2007)

Comments:  On the State of Hawai‘i noxious weed list.

Control: 

Chemical: "Susceptible to triclopyr ester (2.5% product in diesel) applied to frill cuts, although the oil should not be necessary if the stem is frilled. Saplings sensitive to cut surface application of glyphosate and triclopyr. Larger trees may require end-to-end notches or drilling to achieve an adequate dose" (Motooka et al., 2003).

Additional information:  Information from the book "Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide" (Motooka et al., 2003). (PDF format).
Fact sheet from "Common forest trees of Hawaii" (PDF format).
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

Additional online information about Grevillea banksii is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Grevillea banksii may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Australian Biological Resources Study. 2007. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1961. Voucher specimen #BISH 14598 (Pillay, S. 12350).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1982. Voucher specimen #BISH 494028 (Florence, J. 2448).

Little, Elbert L./Skolmen, Roger G. 1989. Common forest trees of Hawaii (native and introduced). USDA Agriculture Handbook 679. Washington, D.C. 377 pp. + plates.

Motooka, Philip/Castro, Luisa/Nelson, Duane/ Nagai, Guy/Ching, Lincoln. 2003. Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 184 pp.

Motooka, Philip/Ching, Lincoln/Nagai, Guy. 2002. Herbicidal Weed Control Methods for Pasture and Natural Areas of Hawaii. Cooperative Extension Service, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai‘i. CTAHR free publication WC-8.

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

Smith, Clifford W. 1985. Impact of Alien Plants on Hawai‘i's Native Biota. In: Stone, Charles P. and Scott, J. Michael, eds. Hawai‘i's terrestrial ecosystems: preservation and Management. Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Sykes, Bill. 0. Bill Sykes, pers. com.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Wester, Lyndon. 1992. Origin and distribution of adventive flowering plants in Hawai‘i. In: Stone, Charles P.; Smith, Clifford W. and Tunison, J. Timothy. Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawaii: Management and Research. University of Hawaii, Cooperative National Park Research Studies Unit, Honolulu. University of Hawaii Press. .