Banksia integrifolia
Banksia integrifolia is a species of tree that grows along the east coast of Australia. It occurs between Victoria and Central Queensland in a broad range of habitats, from coastal dunes to mountains. It is highly variable in form, but is most often encountered as a tree up to 25 metres in height.
About Banksia integrifolia in brief
Banksia integrifolia is a species of tree that grows along the east coast of Australia. It occurs between Victoria and Central Queensland in a broad range of habitats, from coastal dunes to mountains. It is highly variable in form, but is most often encountered as a tree up to 25 metres in height. It has had a complicated taxonomic history, with numerous species and varieties ascribed to it, only to be rejected or promoted to separate species. The taxonomy is now largely settled, with three subspecies recognised: B. integrifolia subsp. integr ifolia, B. integRifolia sub Sp. monticola. It was known to Indigenous Australians before its discovery and naming by Europeans. For example, the Gunai people of Gippsland called it birrna. Because of its wide range it would have a name in a number of other indigenous languages, but these are now lost. The Checklist of Australian Trees lists four other common names: honeysuckle, white banksia, white bottlebrush and white honeysuckles; and some older sources refer to it as honeysucker oak. It can grow as a small, gnarled tree, reaching to no more than about 5 metres, and in highly exposed positions, such as on exposed coastal headlands, it may even be reduced to a small shrub. The leaves are dark green with a white underside, and occur in whorls of three to five. Adult leaves have entire margins; George specifies their dimensions as 4 to 20 centimetres long and 6 to 35 millimetres wide, but The Banksia Atlas warns that specimens often fall outside the varietal limits specified by George or being intermediate between two varieties.
Flowers are usually pale yellow to yellow, but may be greenish or pinkish in bud. The flower spike is made up of several hundred flowers densely packed in a spiral around a woody axis. After flowering, old flower parts wither away over a period of several months, revealing the follicles embedded within the foliage. This process starts with the flowers at the bottom of the inflorescence, sweeping up the spike at an unusually high rate of between 96 and 390 hours per year. The species is a popular choice for parks and streetscapes, and has been used for bush revegetation and stabilisation of dunes. Its hardiness has prompted research into its suitability for use as a rootstock in the cut flower trade, but has also caused concerns about its potential to become a weed outside its natural habitat. A search of historical archives for recorded indigenous names of Victorian flora and fauna failed to find a single name for the species. It usually has a single stout trunk, which is often twisted and gnarling, with the rough grey bark characteristic of Banksia. The style ends are initially trapped inside the upper parts of the upper leaves, but break free at the anthesis.
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This page is based on the article Banksia integrifolia published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 06, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
