Banksia menziesii
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 Banksia menziesii, tree habit, Jandakot Botanical Gardens
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| Banksia menziesii R.Br. |
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The Firewood Banksia (B. menziesii), also known as the Menzies Banksia or Firewheel Banksia, is a species of tree in the genus Banksia. Named by Botanist Robert Brown in 1830 after physician and naturalist Archibald Menzies, botanical explorer with George Vancouver's 1791 voyage to Australia.[1], neither Brown nor Menzies ever saw the plant growing [2]. The name Firewood Banksia was a result of its quick burning properties and abundance as a source of firewood. The colour of the inflorescences has given rise to more unusual common names such as Port Wine Banksia, Flame Banksia and Stawberry Banksia.
Banksia menziesii is widely used in the cut flower industry as well as a garden plant in areas with low humidity.
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[edit] Description
It can be a gnarled tree to 7 metres (23 ft) or lower spreading 1-3 metre (4-10 ft) shrub. The trunk is greyish and rough, the serrated leaves grey-green in colour and 8-25 cm long and up to 4 cm wide, with new growth paler and finely downy. Flowering occurs in autumn and winter.
The inflorescences, ovoid to cylindrical in shape, can be up to 7-8cm wide and 4-12 cm high. They are particularly striking closeup but can look indistinct from a distance. They are most attractive in late bud, the styles contrasting well to the body of the inflorescence, the whole looking like a red- or pink-and white vertical candy striped bloom. The inflorescences are generally a deeper red after colder weather and further into the winter. Some plants have yellow and white inflorescences (pictured left), others are bronze coloured.
Old flowers usually fall off quickly, with up to 25 large follicles following. These can be prominent and quite attractively patterned when new (pictured left).
The plant is dependent on fire to reproduce as the follicles open with fire, each follicle producing one or two viable wedge-shaped (cuneate) seeds, separated by a wooden separator. Banksia menziesii is lignotuberous.
[edit] Distribution and habitat
The Firewood Banksia is found from the Murchison River south to the Waroona area in Western Australia and is found on yellow or white sand, generally growing in low scrub where it is a dominant plant. With distribution from coastal areas to further inland near Wongan Hills and Toodyay.
One study has found that Banksia menziesii also had larger plants with more cones on road verges, with increased availability of nutrients and water. [3]
[edit] Cultivation
The plant is fairly easy to grow in a mediterranean climate with good drainage and a light (sandy) soil; however, it is sensitive to dieback, so will be unreliable in conditions with summer humidity or poor drainage.
An interesting feature of seed propagation and selection is that the seeds which grow into yellow-flowered plants are pale and unpigmented, while future bronze- and red-flowered plants are dark greyish and black respectively.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Powell, Robert (1990). Leaf and Branch: Trees and Tall Shrubs of Perth. Perth, Western Australia: Department of Conservation and Land Management. ISBN 0-7309-3916-2.
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- George AS (1981). "The genus Banksia L.f. — a case history in Australian botany". History in the Service of Systematics.: 53-59.
- ^ Lamont BB, Whitten VA, Witkowski ETF, Rees RG, Enright NJ. (1994) Regional and local (road verge) effects on size and fecundity in Banksia menziesii. Australian Journal of Ecology 19.197-205
- ^ Collins K (2004). "Seed Variation in Banksia menziesii". Banksia Study Group Newsletter 6 (1). ISSN 1444-285X.
- George, Alex (1981). "The Genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae)". Nuytsia 3 (3): 239–473.
- George, Alex (1999). "Banksia", in Wilson, Annette (ed.): Flora of Australia: Volume 17B: Proteaceae 3: Hakea to Dryandra. CSIRO Publishing / Australian Biological Resources Study, 175–251. ISBN 0-643-06454-0.
- Taylor, Anne and Hooper, Stephen D. (1988). The Banksia Atlas (Australian Flora and Fauna Series Number 8). Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra. ISBN 0-644-07124-9.
[edit] External links
- Banksia menziesii. Flora of Australia Online. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government.
- Banksia menziesii. FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
