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Typically native to Australia, Banksia is a flowering plant with a
uniquely shaped nectar rich flower. Banksia flowers are found in most
parts of Australia and they vary in colour, shape and germination
prospects.
Places to be found
There are 75 species of Banksias among which 73 are found in Australia
with 80% of them growing in south of Western Australia. They can be
found in most environments starting from the tropics, sub-alpine areas
to the coast and desert areas. The flowering season of most Banksias is
from late summer to winter.
Appearance of the Banksia plant and its flowers
The plant’s rugged look is its unique feature. The cone shaped follicles
or seeds resemble those produced by conifers. Another unique
characteristic of the Banksia plant are its spikes. Spikes are long
woody axis with an inflorescence of closely-fitted flowers connected at
right angles. A flower spike contains hundreds or sometimes thousands of
flowers, the highest recorded till date has been 6000. Some Banksias do
not have elongated spikes but are reduced to heads.
Depending on the species, the leaves of these plants vary widely too.
They vary in length from 1 to 45 centimetres. Leaves of most of the
species have serrated edges and are set in irregular spirals or are
curled together. The leaves are usually hard or leather-like.
The mystery of its changing colours
The Banksia flowers vary in colour from orange, red, yellow, pink to
even violet. The colour of Banksia flowers depend on the colour of the
style and its perianth parts. Though the perianth is much shorter than
the style, it still traps the style and slowly releases it over a few
weeks from bottom to top or top to bottom. In some species of Banksias
the perianth parts differ in colour from the styles and the phenomenon
of the gradual releasing of the trapped style gives it the visual effect
of colour change.
Can survive in worst circumstances
One of the most efficient root system in nature is found in Banksias,
which extract nutrients from the worst soil. It is said to absorb 12
times more phosphorous than other plants. So if you are planning to
plant Banksias in your garden then you should fertilizers accordingly.
Some Western Australia’s species of Banksias do not grow in areas with
high humidity.
Another unique feature of the Banksia is the one centimetre thick bark
makes it a fire resistant plant and helps it to re-shoot after a fire.
The Germination process
The Banksia plant takes 1-2 years to bloom. Many Banksias do not produce
seeds. For those who produce, seeds are protected by follicles and burst
to give out two seeds. In some cases fruits do not come out until
completely dried out or burned.
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