Banksia oligantha
| Banksia oligantha | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Banksia |
| Species: | B. oligantha |
| Binomial name | |
|
Banksia oligantha A.S.George |
|
Banksia oligantha, commonly known as Wagin banksia, is an endangered species in the plant family Proteaceae endemic to south west Western Australia. It belongs to Banksia subg. Isostylis, a subgenus of three closely related Banksia species with dome-shaped heads as inflorescences, rather than characteristic Banksia flower spikes. A shrub or small tree up to 4 m (13 ft) high, it has prickly foliage and pink and cream flowerheads which appear in late Spring (October to December).
First collected in 1984 near the wheatbelt town of Wagin, Banksia oligantha was officially described in 1987 by Australian botanist Alex George. Several scattered populations survive in fragments of remnant bushland in a region which has been mostly cleared for agriculture. It has been listed as Declared Rare Flora by the Western Australian Government.
Banksia oligantha grows as a single-trunked small tree or as an erect shrub with few main stems. Reports of its maximum height vary from 3 m (9.8 ft) to 5 m (16 ft). When not in flower it is said to look somewhat like Banksia sessilis (Parrot Bush). It has smooth grey bark for the most part, though bark near the base of the trunk may be lightly fissured in older trees. Young stems are covered in hairs, both short and soft, and long and coarse; these are lost with age.
Its leaves are deep green and glossy above, and a pale matte green below. They are roughly oval-shaped, but concave rather than lying flat. There is a sharp point at the tip, and two to four more such points along each margin. They range in length from 1.5 to 3.7 cm (0.59 to 1.46 in), and in width from 0.4 to 2.0 cm (0.16 to 0.79 in), with a petiole 2 to 3 mm (0.079 to 0.118 in) long. Young leaves have a coating of woolly hairs on both sides, but these are soon lost except in pits in the undersurface.
...
Wikipedia