Banksia pulchella explained

Banksia pulchella, commonly known as teasel banksia, is a species of small shrub that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has smooth grey bark, linear leaves and golden-brown flowers in short, cylindrical heads and inconspicuous follicles.

Description

Banksia pulchella is a shrub that typically grows to a height of and has smooth grey bark but does not form a lignotuber. The leaves are narrow linear, long and about wide on a petiole long. The leaves have a sharp point on the tip. The flowers are golden-brown with bright yellow styles and are arranged in short cylindrical heads long and wide at flowering. There are small involucral bracts at the base of the head but that fall off as the flowers develop. The perianth is long and the pistil long and hooked. Flowering occurs in January, March or May to October. The follicles are long, up to high and wide and inconspicuous, although the old flowers fall from the head.[1] [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

Banksia pulchella was first formally described by Robert Brown who published the description in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.[4] [5] Brown's specimens were collected at locations along the south coast of Western Australia, but in 1981, Alex George chose the specimens that Brown collected at Lucky Bay as the lectotype. The specific epithet (pulchella) is from the Latin pulchellus meaning "pretty", probably referring to the flowers.

George placed B. oreophila in subgenus Banksia, section Oncostylis, series Abietinae.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Teasel banksia grows in tall shrubland and kwongan and occurs on the south coast of Western Australia from Culham Inlet in the Fitzgerald River National Park and east to Israelite Bay.

Conservation status

This banksia is classed as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.

Use in horticulture

Seeds do not require any treatment, and take 17 to 48 days to germinate.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Book: George . Alex S. . Flora of Australia . 17B . 1999 . Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra . Canberra . 245 . 19 May 2020.
  2. Book: George, Alex S.. The Banksia Book. 3rd. 1996. Kangaroo Press. Kenthurst, New South Wales. 0-86417-818-2. 224–225.
  3. George . Alex S. . The Genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae) . Nuytsia . 1981 . 3 . 3 . 448–449 . 20 May 2020.
  4. Web site: Banksia pulchella. APNI. 26 May 2020.
  5. Brown . Robert . On the Proteaceae of Jussieu . Transactions of the Linnean Society of London . 1810 . 10 . 1 . 202–203 . 26 May 2020.
  6. George . Alex S. . The Genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae) . Nuytsia . 1981 . 3 . 3 . 20 May 2020.
  7. Book: Sweedman . Luke . Merritt . David . 2006 . Australian seeds: a guide to their collection, identification and biology . limited . CSIRO Publishing . 0-643-09298-6 . 203.