183 Species of Genus Banksia

Banksia: An Australian Icon

My name is Ferb Vu, and like many Australians, I’ve always been fascinated by the unique flora of this continent. Among the diverse plant life here, the Banksia genus holds a special place in my heart. These iconic plants, with their distinctive flower spikes and fruiting cones, are a testament to the beauty and resilience of the Australian bush.

A Diverse Genus

The Banksia genus is a member of the Proteaceae family, which is predominantly found in the Southern Hemisphere. There are around 170 recognized species of Banksia, and all but one are endemic to Australia. This means they are found nowhere else in the world naturally. They occupy a wide range of habitats, from coastal heaths and sandy plains to alpine woodlands and rainforest margins.

  1. Banksia acanthopoda (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  2. Banksia aculeata A.S.George
  3. Banksia acuminata A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  4. Banksia aemula R.Br.
  5. Banksia alliacea A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  6. Banksia anatona (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  7. Banksia aquilonia (A.S.George) A.S.George
  8. Banksia arborea (C.A.Gardner) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  9. Banksia arctotidis (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  10. Banksia armata (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  11. Banksia ashbyi Baker f.
  12. Banksia attenuata R.Br.
  13. Banksia audax C.A.Gardner
  14. Banksia aurantia (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  15. Banksia baueri R.Br.
  16. Banksia baxteri R.Br.
  17. Banksia bella A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  18. Banksia benthamiana C.A.Gardner
  19. Banksia bipinnatifida (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  20. Banksia biterax A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  21. Banksia blechnifolia F.Muell.
  22. Banksia borealis (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  23. Banksia brevidentata (A.S.George) K.R.Thiele
  24. Banksia brownii Baxter ex R.Br.
  25. Banksia brunnea A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  26. Banksia burdettii Baker f.
  27. Banksia caleyi R.Br.
  28. Banksia calophylla (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  29. Banksia candolleana Meisn.
  30. Banksia canei J.H.Willis
  31. Banksia carlinoides (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  32. Banksia catoglypta (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  33. Banksia chamaephyton A.S.George
  34. Banksia cirsioides (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  35. Banksia coccinea R.Br.
  36. Banksia collina R.Br.
  37. Banksia columnaris (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  38. Banksia comosa (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  39. Banksia concinna (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  40. Banksia conferta A.S.George
  41. Banksia corvijuga (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  42. Banksia croajingolensis Molyneux & Forrester
  43. Banksia cuneata A.S.George
  44. Banksia cunninghamii Sieber ex Rchb.
  45. Banksia cynaroides (C.A.Gardner) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  46. Banksia cypholoba (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  47. Banksia dallanneyi A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  48. Banksia densa A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  49. Banksia dentata L.f.
  50. Banksia dolichostyla (A.S.George) K.R.Thiele
  51. Banksia drummondii (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  52. Banksia dryandroides W.Baxter ex Sweet
  53. Banksia echinata (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  54. Banksia elderiana F.Muell. & Tate
  55. Banksia elegans Meisn.
  56. Banksia epica A.S.George
  57. Banksia epimicta (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  58. Banksia ericifolia L.f.
  59. Banksia erythrocephala (C.A.Gardner) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  60. Banksia falcata (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  61. Banksia fasciculata (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  62. Banksia fililoba (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  63. Banksia foliolata (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  64. Banksia foliosissima (C.A.Gardner) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  65. Banksia formosa (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  66. Banksia fraseri (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  67. Banksia fuscobractea (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  68. Banksia gardneri A.S.George
  69. Banksia glaucifolia A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  70. Banksia goodii R.Br.
  71. Banksia grandis Willd.
  72. Banksia grossa A.S.George
  73. Banksia heliantha A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  74. Banksia hewardiana (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  75. Banksia hiemalis (A.S.George) K.R.Thiele
  76. Banksia hirta A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  77. Banksia hookeriana Meisn.
  78. Banksia horrida (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  79. Banksia idiogenes (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  80. Banksia ilicifolia R.Br.
  81. Banksia incana A.S.George
  82. Banksia insulanemorecincta (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  83. Banksia integrifolia L.f.
  84. Banksia ionthocarpa (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  85. Banksia kippistiana (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  86. Banksia laevigata Meisn.
  87. Banksia lanata A.S.George
  88. Banksia laricina C.A.Gardner
  89. Banksia lemanniana Meisn.
  90. Banksia lepidorhiza (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  91. Banksia leptophylla A.S.George
  92. Banksia lindleyana Meisn.
  93. Banksia littoralis R.Br.
  94. Banksia lullfitzii C.A.Gardner
  95. Banksia marginata Cav.
  96. Banksia media R.Br.
  97. Banksia meganotia (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  98. Banksia meisneri Lehm.
  99. Banksia menziesii R.Br.
  100. Banksia micrantha A.S.George
  101. Banksia mimica (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  102. Banksia montana (C.A.Gardner ex A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  103. Banksia mucronulata (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  104. Banksia nana (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  105. Banksia neoanglica (A.S.George) Stimpson & J.J.Bruhl
  106. Banksia nivea Labill.
  107. Banksia nobilis (Lindl.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  108. Banksia nutans R.Br.
  109. Banksia oblongifolia Cav.
  110. Banksia obovata A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  111. Banksia obtusa (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  112. Banksia occidentalis R.Br.
  113. Banksia octotriginta (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  114. Banksia oligantha A.S.George
  115. Banksia oreophila A.S.George
  116. Banksia ornata F.Muell. ex Meisn.
  117. Banksia pallida (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  118. Banksia paludosa R.Br.
  119. Banksia parva (A.S.George) K.R.Thiele
  120. Banksia pellaeifolia A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  121. Banksia penicillata (A.S.George) K.R.Thiele
  122. Banksia petiolaris F.Muell.
  123. Banksia pilostylis C.A.Gardner
  124. Banksia plagiocarpa A.S.George
  125. Banksia platycarpa (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  126. Banksia plumosa (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  127. Banksia polycephala (Benth.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  128. Banksia porrecta (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  129. Banksia praemorsa Andrews
  130. Banksia prionophylla A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  131. Banksia prionotes Lindl.
  132. Banksia prolata A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  133. Banksia proteoides (Lindl.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  134. Banksia pseudoplumosa (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  135. Banksia pteridifolia (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  136. Banksia pulchella R.Br.
  137. Banksia purdieana (Diels) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  138. Banksia quercifolia R.Br.
  139. Banksia recurvistylis K.R.Thiele
  140. Banksia repens Labill.
  141. Banksia robur Cav.
  142. Banksia rosserae Olde & Marriott
  143. Banksia rufa A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  144. Banksia rufistylis (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  145. Banksia saxicola A.S.George
  146. Banksia scabrella A.S.George
  147. Banksia sceptrum Meisn.
  148. Banksia sclerophylla (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  149. Banksia seminuda (A.S.George) Rye
  150. Banksia seneciifolia (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  151. Banksia serra (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  152. Banksia serrata L.f.
  153. Banksia serratuloides (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  154. Banksia sessilis (Knight) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  155. Banksia shanklandiorum (Randall) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  156. Banksia shuttleworthiana (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  157. Banksia solandri R.Br.
  158. Banksia speciosa R.Br.
  159. Banksia sphaerocarpa R.Br.
  160. Banksia spinulosa Sm.
  161. Banksia splendida A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  162. Banksia squarrosa (R.Br.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  163. Banksia stenoprion (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  164. Banksia strictifolia A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  165. Banksia stuposa (Lindl.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  166. Banksia subpinnatifida (C.A.Gardner) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  167. Banksia subulata (C.A.Gardner) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  168. Banksia telmatiaea A.S.George
  169. Banksia tenuis A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  170. Banksia tortifolia (Kippist ex Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  171. Banksia tricuspis Meisn.
  172. Banksia tridentata (Meisn.) B.D.Jacks.
  173. Banksia trifontinalis (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  174. Banksia undata A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  175. Banksia verticillata R.Br.
  176. Banksia vestita (Meisn.) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  177. Banksia victoriae Meisn.
  178. Banksia vincentia Stimpson & P.H.Weston
  179. Banksia violacea C.A.Gardner
  180. Banksia viscida (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  181. Banksia wonganensis (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  182. Banksia xylothemelia (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
  183. Banksia zygocephala K.R.Thiele

Adaptations to Fire

One of the most remarkable aspects of Banksia is their adaptation to fire. Many species have evolved to rely on bushfires for their survival. Their seed cones are often serotinous, meaning they remain closed until exposed to the heat of a fire. This ensures that seeds are released into an environment where competition is minimal and there are nutrients readily available in the ash. This fire-dependent strategy has allowed Banksia to thrive in the fire-prone landscapes of Australia.

Importance to the Ecosystem

Banksia plays a vital role in the Australian ecosystem. Their flowers produce copious amounts of nectar, making them a crucial food source for a variety of animals, including birds, mammals, and insects. The honeyeaters, with their specialized brush-tipped tongues, are particularly fond of Banksia nectar. The seeds are also an important food source for cockatoos and other parrots.

Conservation Status

While many Banksia species are common and widespread, some are facing threats due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and diseases such as Phytophthora dieback. Conservation efforts are underway to protect these vulnerable species and ensure their continued survival.

Personal Reflections

I’ve had the pleasure of encountering Banksia in various parts of Australia, from the coastal heaths of Victoria to the forests of Western Australia. Each encounter has been a reminder of the resilience and beauty of the Australian bush. I find myself drawn to their unique forms and the way they interact with their environment. The sight of a Banksia in full bloom, with honeyeaters flitting amongst its flowers, is a truly captivating experience.

I believe it’s important for us to appreciate and protect these iconic plants. By understanding their role in the ecosystem and the threats they face, we can work towards ensuring their survival for generations to come.

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