Tree to 25 m high; bark grey-brown, thick, roughly tessellated (mosaic-like). Its smaller branches are striated (striped with parallel longitudinal ridges or lines).
Flowers mainly January - June. Pale yellow cylindrical spikes forming a bottle-brush shape. Each flower head is 6 – 12 cm long, 5 – 8 cm wide and attracts insects and nectar-eating birds.
Seed "cones" opening spontaneously on ripening 8 – 10 months after flowering. Seeds are enclosed in follicles, body of seed crescent-shaped, 6 – 10 mm long, wing 10 – 20 mm long.
Fire stimulates the opening of Banksia seed-bearing follicles and the germination of seeds in the ground.
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First fully open single flower
Full flowering (record all days)
End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)
Open seed pods/follicles (record all days)
Signs of disease and decay (through photos and Additional comments)
The introduction and spread of plant pathogens such as Phytophthora cinnamomi (dieback) pose a serious threat to Banksias and the animals that depend on them
Increase in bushfires associated with climate change could reduce or even eliminate populations of Banksia from certain areas by killing seedlings and young plants before they reach fruiting age.
Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata) has a distinct notch at the end of the leaf tips, smaller leaves and flowers, and leaves alternate on the stem instead of whorl around it.
Mountain Banksia (Banksia canei) are found above 600 m in semi-alpine areas of NSW and Victoria. It has some sharp points on its leaves, stouter flowers and larger follicles that remain closed for several years.
