Banksia occidentalis

Family: Proteaceae
Distribution: In low lying swampy areas scattered along the southern Western Australian coast, from Augusta to Cape Arid.
Common Name: Red swamp banksia; waterbush
Conservation Status:  Not currently listed as threatened under the EPBC Act*. Regarded as vulnerable over the long term and classified as 3VC under the ROTAP * system.
Derivation of Name: Banksia…after Sir Joseph Banks.
occidentalis…From Latin occidentalis, western, possibly relative to habitat of the eastern species B.spinulosa, which it resembles.

Plant profile map image

General Description:

Banksia is a large genus of about 170 species in the Protea family, having been increased in size through the transfer of species in the former genus Dryandra to Banksia (see footnote box). The genus is almost exclusively Australian, being found in all States and Territories. A single species (B.dentata) is found in islands to Australia's north as well as in tropical Australia.

Banksia occidentalis can be found as a small tree to 7 metres or a shrub about 2 metres high, especially in coastal areas such as near Black Point. Regardless of form, plants are non-lignotuberous. Leaves are linear, 40 to 130 mm long by 2 to 3 mm wide with recurved (rolled under), sparsely serrate margins. The grey-brown bark is smooth with lenticels. Flowering occurs in summer and autumn with occasional flowers at other times.The bright red cylindrical spikes are 40 to 140mm high and 65 to 75mm wide at flowering. Colour variants have been recorded, including pink, and pale yellow from near Denmark. Sadly, this latter population may have been wiped out by Phytophthora. The seeds are enclosed in follicles attached to a woody cone and are generally retained within the cone until burnt.

Being non-lignotuberous, B.occidentalis relies solely on seed for regeneration. Given the time it takes for plants to reach flowering (4-6 years), fires at too short an interval could also eliminate this species from certain areas. Furthermore, plants are very susceptible to dieback. Thus, it is considered vulnerable in its natural habitat.

In cultivation, this species has grown well in Mediterranean climates with dry summers and as far north as Armidale in NSW. However, in common with most western species, B.occidentalis is regarded as unreliable in areas with humid summers and has been known to die suddenly in cultivation in such areas.

Propagation from seed is relatively easy.

* EPBC Act = Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999;
ROTAP = Rare or Threatened Australian Plants (Briggs and Leigh, 1988)
For further information refer the Australian Plants at Risk page

 

Transfer of Dryandra to Banksia
A paper published in 2007 proposed that the genus Dryandra be subsumed into Banksia. This revised classification has been accepted by the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria and the new Banksia names now appear on Florabase (the website for the Western Australian Herbarium) and in the Australian Plant Census.

The new classification has come in for some criticism but, as the Australian Plant Census has been adopted as the authority on plant names by ANPSA, the revised classification has been accepted on the ANPSA website. The previous Dryandra names will also be mentioned where appropriate. For further information refer to our Banksia page.

 

Plant profile image

Banksia occidentalis
Photo: Maria Hitchcock

 

Other Native Plant Profiles

View all
idn poker istanaslot istanaslot sohibslot idn poker idn poker slot gacor situs toto situs toto italia188 totowin88 sohibslot sohibslot tikus4d spbu777 permata888 AMANAHTOTO istanaslot istanaslot istanaslot juraganbola slot gacor mabestogel garuda4d udintogel hometogel ziatogel dingdongtogel yoktogel mybet188 permata88 sumbartoto toto situs toto coloktoto istanaslot RP888 parlay tikus4d misterhoki cuanwin77 spade88 premantoto situs slot slot gacor pakde4d Jinhoki PREMANTOTO PAKDE4D SLOT GACOR SLOT GACOR slot gacor slot slot88 slot gacor latoto dingdongtogel bandar80 SAPITOTO