Banksia sessilis
Banksia sessilis, commonly known as parrot bush, is a species of shrub or tree in the plant genus Banksia of the family Proteaceae. The Noongar peoples know the plant as budjan or butyak. Widespread throughout southwest Western Australia, it is found on sandy soils over laterite or limestone. It has prickly dark green leaves and dome-shaped cream-yellow flowerheads.
About Banksia sessilis in brief
Banksia sessilis, commonly known as parrot bush, is a species of shrub or tree in the plant genus Banksia of the family Proteaceae. The Noongar peoples know the plant as budjan or butyak. Widespread throughout southwest Western Australia, it is found on sandy soils over laterite or limestone, often as an understorey plant in open forest, woodland or shrubland. It has prickly dark green leaves and dome-shaped cream-yellow flowerheads. Flowering from winter through to late spring, it provides a key source of food—both the nectar and the insects it attracts—for honeyeaters in the cooler months. It is a prickly plant with little apparent horticultural potential; none of the varieties are commonly seen in cultivation. It was collected from King George Sound in 1801 and described by Robert Brown in 1810 as Dryandra floribunda, a name by which it was known for many years. Four varieties are recognised: var. cygnorum, flabellifolia, cordata and Josephia sessILis Knight. The life cycle of Banksia sesilis is adapted to regular bushfires. It regenerates by seed afterwards, producing many flowerheads and a massive amount of seed. It can recolonise disturbed areas, and may grow in thickets. The long-billed black cockatoo and Australian ringneck eat the seed.
A profuse producer of nectar, B. sessil is valuable to the beekeeping industry. The inflorescences are cream or yellow, and occur in domed heads 4 to 5 cm wide, situated at the end of a stem. The style is slightly shorter, also straight and cream-coloured, unlike many other Banksia species. In Bsilis the upper perianth is straight, 20 to 32mm long and pale yellow. One study found that the outer anthesis does not result in a change in colour, with the outer opening taking place over four days, with flowers moving mostly in place in the first place. In most other species, the inner anthesis is initially trapped inside the periantha, but breaks free at the anthesis, but this is not the case in Bsile. The species diversity is reduced in areas where there is little or no parrotbush occurring. It had been known as Dry Sandra until 2007, when the genus Dryandra was sunk into Banksia. It may be sessile or on a petiole up to 0.5 cm long. The leaves are blue-green or dark green. They are wedge-shaped, with teeth only near the apex, and in var. cordata they are somewhat broader at the base, sometimes almost oblong in shape. Leaf size ranges from 2 to 6 cm in length, and 0. 8–4cm in width.
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This page is based on the article Banksia sessilis published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 29, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
