Banksia gardneri

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Prostrate Banksia
B. gardneri, unusual black styles near Albany, WA
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Proteales Family: Proteaceae Genus: Banksia Subgenus: Banksia subg. Banksia Section: Banksia sect. Banksia Series: Banksia ser. Prostratae Species: B. gardneri
Binomial name
Banksia gardneri A.S.George

The Prostrate Banksia (Banksia gardneri) is a species of prostrate shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs along the south coast of Western Australia. It was initially named Banksia prostrata, but Alex George discovered that name was illegal because was already a valid synonym of Pimelia prostrata. He broke his rule about never naming plants after people and named it after Charles Gardner in honour of his work on banksias.^[1]

Contents 1 Description 2 Distribution and habitat 3 Taxonomy 4 Cultivation 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Description

It is a slow growing prostrate woody shrub with thick horizontal stems and upright broadly roughly triangularly lobed leaves to 40cm high (though usually less) and 2 to 6 cm wide. The furry rusty brown flower spikes are cylindrical with cream, or rarely black styles. Flowering is in late spring. It is lignotuberorous and regenerates by resprouting after fire.

[edit] Distribution and habitat

It grows in sand or gravel between Denmark and Hopetoun.

[edit] Taxonomy

Three subspecies are recognised:

• B. g. gardneri
• B. g. hiemalis
• B. g. brevidentata

[edit] Cultivation

• B. g. gardneri is a slow growing shrub though fairly easy to grow. It is less vigorous than Banksia blechnifolia or B. petiolaris.

[edit] References

• George, Alex S. (1981). "The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae)". Nuytsia 3 (3): 239–473. ISSN 0085-4417. 
• George, Alex (1999). "Banksia", in Wilson, Annette (ed.): Flora of Australia: Volume 17B: Proteaceae 3: Hakea to Dryandra. CSIRO Publishing / Australian Biological Resources Study, 175–251. ISBN 0-643-06454-0. 
• Taylor, Anne and Stephen Hopper (1988). The Banksia Atlas (Australian Flora and Fauna Series Number 8). Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-07124-9. 

[edit] External links

• Banksia gardneri A.S.George. Flora of Australia Online. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government.
• Banksia gardneri A.S.George. FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
• Banksia gardneri A.S.George. Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.