Banksia Prionotes

by Elaine Teague

Title

Banksia Prionotes

Artist

Elaine Teague

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Was growing in my garden in Bridgetown, Western Australia, but bush has since died unfortunately.

Banksia prionotes, commonly known as Acorn Banksia or Orange Banksia, is a species of woody shrub or tree of the genus Banksia in the Proteaceae family. It is native to the southwest of Western Australia. It can reach up to 10 m (30 ft) in height, though can be much smaller in more exposed areas or in the north of its range. It has serrated, dull green leaves and large, bright flower spikes, initially white then opening to a bright orange. It gains its common name as the partly opened inflorescences resemble acorns. These make it a popular garden plant, and also of importance to the cut flower industry.

It was first described in 1840 by John Lindley, probably from material collected by James Drummond the previous year. There are no recognised varieties though it has been known to hybridise with Banksia hookeriana. Widely distributed, B. prionotes is found from Shark Bay (25° S) in the north, south as far as Kojonup (33°50′S). It grows exclusively in sandy soils, and is usually the dominant plant in scrubland or low woodland. The Acorn Banksia is pollinated by 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 honey-eaters, 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.

© Copyright Elaine Teague all rights reserved.
"Facebook":http://tinyurl.com/yaawdswa

Uploaded

March 8th, 2020

Statistics

Viewed 205 Times  -  Last Visitor from White Plains, NY on 04/09/2024 at 11:55 PM

Colors

Embed

Share

Sales Sheet

Tags