| Scarlet Banksia | |
|---|---|
| Flower spike of B.coccinea Little Grove, Albany |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Banksia |
| Species: | B. coccinea |
| Binomial name | |
| Banksia coccinea R.Br |
|
Banksia coccinea, commonly known as the Scarlet Banksia, Waratah Banksia or Albany Banksia, is an erect shrub or small tree in the plant genus Banksia. Endemic to south west Western Australia, it occurs from Albany (35°S) east to the Young River (33°47'S 121°10'), and north to the Stirling Range (34°24'S).
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The Scarlet Banksia grows as an erect shrub or small tree up to 8 metres (26 ft) tall. Its leaves are flat, from 3 centimetres (1 in) to 9 centimetres (4 in) long, with large sharp teeth.
Although all Banksia species have flowers arranged spirally around the flower spike axis, in some species there is a vertical alignment superimposed on it. In Banksia coccinea, this vertical alignment is strongly accentuated by large gaps between the columns. Furthermore, neighbouring columns of flowers lean in opposite directions, resulting in bright red vertical columns consisting of many crossing flower styles, alternating with large vertical gaps through which the light grey perianths can be seen. The end result is a flower spike with elegant vertical red and white stripes.
The first known specimens of B. coccinea were collected in December 1801, during the visit to King George Sound of HMS Investigator under the command of Matthew Flinders. On board were botanist Robert Brown, botanical artist Ferdinand Bauer, and gardener Peter Good. All three men gathered plant specimens, but those collected by Bauer and Good were incorporated into Brown's herbarium without attribution, so it is not possible to identify the actual collector of this species.[1][2] The surviving specimen of B. coccinea, held by the Natural History Museum in London, is annotated in Brown's hand "King George IIIds Sound Princess Royal Harbour especially near the observatory".[3] The observatory was apparently located in what is now the present-day central business district of Albany.[4] No further information on the collection is available, as the species is mentioned in neither Brown's nor Good's diary.[5][6]
Good also made a separate seed collection, which included B. coccinea,[7] and the species was drawn by Bauer. Like nearly all of Bauer's field drawings of Proteaceae, the original field sketch of B. coccinea was destroyed in a Hofburg fire in 1945.[8] However a watercolour painting by Bauer, based on his field sketches, still survives at the Natural History Museum in London,[9] and a hand-coloured copper engraving from that painting was published as Plate 3 of Bauer's 1813 Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae.[10][11]
The Scarlet Banksia was first published by Robert Brown in his 1810 On the Proteaceae of Jussieu. Because of the unusual appearance of its flowers, it is placed in its own section, Banksia sect. Coccinea, of subgenus Banksia subg. Banksia. No subspecies are recognised.
B. coccinea occurs close to the south coast of Western Australia, from Albany in the west, east to Young River and inland to the Stirling Range.It prefers deep white or grey sand, amongst tall shrubland, heath, mallee-heath and low woodland. Most of its range has a float or gently undulating topography, but it also occurs on a steep rocky slope at Ellen Peak in the Stirling Ranges.[12][13]
A field study conducted around Albany found the honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus) sometimes visit Banksia coccinea, as do the New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) and White-cheeked Honeyeater (P. nigra).[14] Banksia coccinea flowers are visited by colletid bees Hylaeus alcyoneus and H. sanguinipictus.[15]
Banksia coccinea has shown some symptoms of toxicity to application of phosphite (used to combat dieback), with some patchy necrosis of leaves, but the uptake of the compound is somewhat lower compared with other shrubs. Unusually, the symptoms did not appear to be proportional to exposure levels.[16]
Widely considered one of the most attractive Banksia species, B. coccinea is a popular garden plant and one of the most important Banksia species for the cut flower industry.[13] However, it is highly sensitive to dieback and succumbs readily when exposed. It is difficult to keep alive in areas of heavy soils or summer rainfall or humidity, such as the Australian east coast.
Propagation is by seed. Seeds do not require any treatment prior to sowing, and take 12 to 48 days to germinate.[17]
Grafting has been attempted without success.
In a breeding program conducted by Dr Margaret Sedgley of the Department of Horticulture, Viticulture and Oenology, Waite Agricultural Research Institute of the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, South Australia, several forms of Banksia coccinea were bred, registererd and commercially propagated, mainly for the cut flower industry. Banksia 'Waite Flame' is an early flowering somewhat orange-hued form, and B. 'Waite Crimson' is a late-flowering form.