Banksia prionotes
Banksia prionotes is a species of shrub or tree of the genus Banksia in the family Proteaceae. It is native to the southwest of Western Australia and can reach up to 10 m in height. This species has serrated, dull green leaves and large, bright flower spikes, initially white before opening to a bright orange.
About Banksia prionotes in brief
Banksia prionotes is a species of shrub or tree of the genus Banksia in the family Proteaceae. It is native to the southwest of Western Australia and can reach up to 10 m in height. This species has serrated, dull green leaves and large, bright flower spikes, initially white before opening to a bright orange. Its common name arises from the partly opened inflorescence, which is shaped like an acorn. The tree is a popular garden plant and also of importance to the cut flower industry. It was first described in 1840 by English botanist John Lindley, probably from material collected by James Drummond the previous year. There are no recognised varieties, although it has been known to hybridise with Banksia hookeriana. It grows exclusively in sandy soils, and is usually the dominant plant in scrubland or low woodland. Pollinated by birds, it provides food for a wide array of vertebrate and invertebrate animals in the autumn and winter months. The matte blackish seeds are wedge-shaped and measure 8–10 mm long by 5–6 mm wide with a membranous ‘wing’ The root system consists of a main sinker root, and up to ten lateral roots extending from a non-lignotuberous root crown. The laterals rad out horizontally from the base of the plant, at a depth of 3–10cm. They may bear larger laterals; often auxiliary rootlets grow dense surface mats of proteoid roots, which function throughout the wetter months before dying off in the summer.
B. prionotes has cream-coloured flowers with a brightorange limb that is not revealed until the flower fully opens. The old flower parts fall away after flowering finishes, revealing the axis, which may bear up to 60 embedded follicles, which are from 14 to 20mm long and 6–11 mm wide, and protrude 3–6mm from the cone. It’s an important source of food for honeyeaters, and is critical to their survival in the Avon Wheatbelt region, where it is the only nectar-producing plant in flower at some times of the year. It has thin, mottled grey, smooth or grooved bark, and tomentose young stems. The alternate dull green Leaves are 15–27 cm long, and 1–2 centimetres wide, with toothed leaf margins made up of triangular lobes, and often a wavy surface. The primary root grows straight down to the water table; it may be up to 15 m long if the water level is that deep. The secondary rootlets often bear auxiliary roots that extend over 5m from the plant and may bear a larger lateral root. The main root may be less than half a centimetre wide just above the water Table, and may be more than 5 cm in diameter immediately below the root Crown.
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This page is based on the article Banksia prionotes published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 06, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
