Banksia spinulosa

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iHairpin Banksia
Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa, Georges River National Park
Conservation status
Secure
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Proteales Family: Proteaceae Genus: Banksia Subgenus: Banksia subg. Banksia Section: Banksia sect. Oncostylis Series: Banksia ser. Spicigerae Species: B. spinulosa
Binomial name
Banksia spinulosa Smith

The Hairpin Banksia (B. spinulosa) is an attractive shrub species of the genus Banksia. Native to Australia, it is a popular garden plant with many horticultural selections available. It was named by James Smith in England in 1793, after a likely collection in 1792 by John White.

Contents 1 Description 2 Distribution and habitat 3 Taxonomy 4 Ecology 5 Cultivation 5.1 Cultivars 6 Gallery 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Description

The Hairpin Banksia usually occurs as a multistemmed lignotuberous shrub from one to three metres tall and one to two metres across. Alternatively, it may be single-stemmed without lignotubers, in which case it is often taller, up to five metres high. It has grey or grey-brown smooth bark with lenticels, and long, narrow leaves with serrated edges.

Flowers occur in Banksia's distinctive flower spikes. In Banksia spinulosa these are cylindrical, about six to seven centimetres wide, yellow to golden orange in colour, with styles of yellow, orange, red, pink, maroon or black. Styles of various colours may be found within metres of each other in some areas (such as in the Georges River National Park, and Catherine Hill Bay), while other populations may have uniformly black, red or gold styles. Flowering occurs over a long period through autumn and early winter.

The Hairpin Banksia's infructescence is a typical Banksia "cone", with up to 100 embedded follicles. The old flower parts tend to persist for a long time, giving the "cone" a hairy appearance.

[edit] Distribution and habitat

Hairpin Banksia occurs along the east coast of Australia from the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne, Victoria, north through New South Wales and into Queensland. It is common north to Maryborough, with disjunct populations occurring as far north as the Atherton Tableland near Cairns.

It occurs in a variety of habitats, from coastal heath to inland dry sclerophyll forest dominated by eucalypts. It usually occurs on sand, but can be found in rocky clays or loams.

[edit] Taxonomy

Banksia spinulosa lies within series Banksia ser. Spicigerae, together with Banksia ericifolia and various western Hairpin-like Banksias such as B. seminuda and B. brownii. This series in placed in Banksia sect. Oncostylis according to Alex George's taxonomy of Banksia (George 1981, 1984, 1999), but directly into Banksia subg. Banksia in Thiele's arrangement based on cladistic analysis (Thiele 1996). Molecular research suggests that B. spinulosa and B. ericifolia may be more closely related to series Banksia ser. Salicinae, with Banksia integrifolia and its relatives.

Four varieties are currently recognised:

• B. s. var. collina the Hill Banksia or Golden Candlesticks, as this form is often known as, is found in inland gorges and tablelands, such as Carnarvon Gorge, Expedition National Park, Isla Gorge and Dicks Tableland in a remote part of Eungella National Park, in Central Queensland but coastal on the NSW central and north coast. It is more often found with all-gold inflorescences or gold with red styles. It was originally collected by George Caley and named as a species by Robert Brown. many older books still refer to it as a separate species but it was reclassified as a variety of Banksia spinulosa by Alex George in 1981.
• B. s. var. spinulosa - the true Hairpin Banksia, this plant is coastal in Queensland, seen in such places as Walsh's Pyramid (near Cairns), Byfield and the Blackdown Tableland then again in New South Wales south of the Hawkesbury River (just north of Sydney) down the New South Wales South Coast to Victoria. Intermediate forms with var. collina are seen in the vicinity of the Hawkesbury River. It commonly has black, maroon or claret styles on gold spikes but all-gold inflorescences are seen.
• B. s. var. neoanglica known as the New England Banksia, this plant is found in the New England Region of far northern New South Wales and Southeastern Queensland. It is a short lignotuberous shrub to 1 metre in height. Inflorescences are gold with black styles.

• B. s. var. cunninghamii this plant is a fast-growing nonlignotuberous shrub to 6 metres in height, occurring in the Great Dividing Range from southeast Queensland to southern New South Wales and also in Victoria. Inflorescences are generally gold with black styles, though an all-yellow form from Victoria is known. Originally collected by Franz Sieber and named in 1827 as a species. It was reclassified as a variety of Banksia spinulosa by Alex George in 1981, though some eastern states taxonomists hold it as a species.

However, some doubt exists as to whether the current taxa accurately represent relationships within the Banksia spinulosa complex. B. s. collina is a form of inland gorges and tablelands in central Queensland, but is a coastal plant on the New South Wales central and north coast. B. s. spinulosa, on the other hand, is coastal in central Queensland and in New South Wales south of Sydney. Similarly, Banksia cunninghamii is widely separated between NSW and Victorian forms (where the longer leaved form was originally called B. prionophylla by Meisner). Notably both B. s. var spinulosa and B. s. var. collina in northern Queensland have old spikes bare as opposed to them having persistent old flower parts in New South Wales and Victoria. Mast (1998) showed B. s. var. collina and B. s. var. neoanglica as sister clades, with B. s. var. spinulosa and B. s. var. cunninghamii flanking these. A molecular study with specimens of each subspecies from the 3 mainland eastern states they occur should shed light on this.

[edit] Ecology

Banksias have been the subject of many studies on what pollinates them. A 1982 study in the New England National Park in North-eastern New South Wales found that there was a large influx of Eastern Spinebills which coincided with the start of flowering of Banksia spinulosa there^[1].

[edit] Cultivation

In general, Hairpin Banksias prefer sandy well-drained soils with sunny aspect, though some local forms hailing from Wiannamatta Shales may do well on heavier soils. It is resistant to dieback, like most eastern banksias^[2].

The variety most commonly seen in nurseries is variety B. s. var. collina (Hill Banksia), which naturally occurs north of the Hawkesbury whereas variety B. s. var. spinulosa occurs to the south. Given that the varieties hybridise, try and get a local provenance form from your local community nursery, Bushcare or Australian Plants Society group. There are, however, some marvellous dwarf forms available for the city gardener - 'Stumpy Gold' is a form of variety collina originally from the Central Coast, while 'Birthday Candles', 'Coastal Cushion' and 'Golden Cascade' are forms of variety spinulosa from the south coast of NSW.

[edit] Cultivars

The following is a list of cultivars commercially available:

• B. s. var. collina 'Carnarvon Gold' – All-gold flowered form with long entire leaves and old flowers falling from spikes, from Carnarvon Gorge in central Queensland.
• B. s. var. collina 'Stumpy Gold' - spreading form (40cm high by up to 1.2m across) with light gold flowers 15cm high by 6cm across from Wybung Head on NSW Central Coast, propagated by Richard Anderson of Merricks Nursery. Comes from a silty loam so theoretically should tolerate a heavier soil than 'Coastal Cushion'. Leaves are a more subdued green with greyish tinge than the south coast NSW spinulosa cultivars.
• B. s. var. spinulosa 'Birthday Candles' – the original trailblazer, a compact plant growing to 45cm tall and up to 100cm across with red-styled gold flowers 15cm high by 6cm across. Leaves narrow and attractive lime green new growth. Stems and branches naturally crooked. Under PBR by Bill Molyneux (Austraflora). Original provenance on headland hear Ulladulla in southern NSW. It appears to fare better in Mediterranean climates with reports of patchy performance in Sydney (though better in pots) and unreliability in Brisbane. Reports of it flowering in alternate years only. It is reported to be an unreliable survivor, although this may be due to it being popular to novices.

• B. s. var. spinulosa 'Cherry Candles' – Bred by Bill Molyneux from the 'Birthday Candles' cultivar, this is a compact plant growing to 45cm tall and up to 100cm across with cherry red-styled gold flowers, darker than its parent, 15cm high by 6cm across. Release Spring 2004.

• B. s. var. spinulosa 'Coastal Cushion' (= 'Schnapper Point') – originally collected by Neil Marriott and called 'Schnapper Point' from the same locality as 'Birthday Candles', this is a more spreading plant to 50cm tall and up to 1.5-2m across with dark red-styled gold flowers (a couple of shades darker than 'Birthday Candles') 15cm high by 6cm across. It is very floriferous and seems to be more adaptable to points north than other dwarf forms – growing reliably in SE Qld. It is propagated by Richard Anderson of Merricks Nursery.
• B. s. 'Coastal Candles', propagated by Merv Hodge, came from Philip Vaughan's 'Schnapper Point' plant. Some plants are behaving differently, so it may be that not all material is the exact same clone.

• B. s. var. spinulosa 'Golden Cascade' – yet another plant from the same locality as 'Birthday Candles', this is more spreading again, to perhaps 30cm tall and up to 1.5-2m across with red-styled gold flowers 15cm high by 6cm across. It is also seen as B. spinulosa 'prostrate'. Propagated by Gondwana Nursery, this is a relatively new release.
• B. s. var. spinulosa 'Honey Pots' – a form with all gold flowers to 20cm high (taller than forms listed above), however it is a little larger with reports of it growing to 1m high, with odd reports of it getting taller than this, by 1.2m across. It comes from south coast in Victoria, propagated by Rod Parsons of Carawah Nursery in Victoria.

• B. s. var. spinulosa (dwarf forms) – Rod Parsons of Carawah Nursery in Victoria has two red-styled fairly compact dwarf forms, one (all serrated – slow growing, possibly collina) growing to 1m, the (leaf ends serrated only, faster growing) other 1.5m – and there are others reported but not named.
• B. s. var cunninghamii 'Lemon Glow' – registered under ACRA by Alf Salkin, this hails from French Island and grows to 2 or 3m with all lemon yellow flowers. Currently propagated by Phillip Vaughan and Kuranga Nursery, both in Melbourne.

There is a form sold as Banksia (spinulosa) cunninghamii variant, propagated by Bournda Plants of Tura Beach on the NSW south coast. The plants reach 70cm after 4 years and have black-styled gold inflorescences. The form came from David Shiels of Wakiti Nursery in Victoria, who got it from Alf Salkin. It has a white undersurface (not brownish) and has a couple of serrations close to the tip of the leaf, typical of B. s. var. spinulosa.

[edit] Gallery

B. spinulosa spinulosa ANBG, Canberra

Banksia spinulosa (yellow styles), Georges River National Park (near Sydney)

Nowra, NSW. May 2005

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Banksia spinulosa at Flora of Australia Online, Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australia.