Banksia serrata

Banksia serrata

Banksia serrata is a species of woody shrub or tree of the genus Banksia in the family Proteaceae. Native to the east coast of Australia, it is found from Queensland to Victoria with outlying populations on Tasmania and Flinders Island. Commonly growing as a gnarled tree up to 16 m in height, it can be much smaller in more exposed areas.

About Banksia serrata in brief

Summary Banksia serrataBanksia serrata is a species of woody shrub or tree of the genus Banksia in the family Proteaceae. Native to the east coast of Australia, it is found from Queensland to Victoria with outlying populations on Tasmania and Flinders Island. Commonly growing as a gnarled tree up to 16 m in height, it can be much smaller in more exposed areas. This Banksia species has wrinkled grey bark, shiny dark green serrated leaves and large yellow or greyish-yellow flower spikes appearing over summer. The flower spikes, or inflorescences, turn grey as they age and pollinated flowers develop into large, grey, woody seed pods called follicles. The obovate seed is 3–3. 4 cm long, fairly flattened, has a papery wing and weighs around 77. 5 mg. It is a common plant of parks and gardens and provides food for a wide array of vertebrate and invertebrate animals in the autumn and winter months, and is an important source of food for honeyeaters. There are no recognised varieties, although it is closely related to Banksia aemula. It grows exclusively in sandy soils and is usually the dominant plant in scrubland or low woodland. It usually has a single, stout trunk with warty, knobbly grey bark up to 3 cm thick.

The leaves themselves are dark glossy green above and light green below, 7 to 20 centimetres ) long by 2 to 4  cm ) wide, and oblong to obovates in shape. The first pair of leaves are linear to lance-shaped with the sin-shaped end towards the base, 3–10 cm long by 4–5 cm wide. The cotyledons are thick, hairy and red, thick and hairy and are 1–1.5cm long. The auricle at the base of the leaf is pointed and measures 0 ledononon on the cotylon. The seed is composed of the obovated seed body and measures 1.0–1 cm  long by 0. 9–1 cm wide. It is about the same shape as the sturdy dark brown seed by the other side, with a depression where the seed body sits adjacent to it. The seeds are separated in a follicle by a sturdy dark black and sturdy black separator, which is about 1.5–2.5 cm long by 1-1.1 centimetre wide The seed body is about 0.9 cm. long by0.9 to 1.1 centimetre  wide and the outer surface, is pitted and dark brown and the brown-black and warty is sparkling slightly. It is one of the four original Banksia. species collected by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770, and one of four species published in 1782 as part of Carolus Linnaeus the Younger’s original description of the. genus.