Regular newsletters are published several times per year to record activities and experiences of Group members in cultivating dryandras, keeping up to date on scientific knowledge of the genus and reporting on field trips to various parts of Australia.

Past newsletters are provided as an archive. (Note: Newsletters are in pdf format and will require a PDF Reader to view them. Free readers include Foxit Reader and Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Dryandras are in the family Proteaceae and are closely related to Banksia.  They are endemic to Western Australia and superficially, they resemble the South African genus Protea.

The main differences between Dryandra and Banksia are the bracts surrounding the inflorescence (involucral bracts) in Dryandra, and the seed-containing follicles that are loosely attached to the flat or slightly curved base (receptacle) in Dryandra rather than deeply embedded in the woody spike or cone in Banksia.

In 2007, Mast and Thiele published a paper that incorporated Dryandra into Banksia. This has been controversial and not universally accepted.

For information on the history, biology and ecology as well as propagation and growing and much more about dryandras, the book The Dryandras by Cavanagh and Pieroni is recommended.

This image gallery contains images of the known members of the genus Dryandra with the Banksia names published by Mast and Thiele also shown.

This illustrated key is the result of many years work by Margaret Pieroni and Alex George.

Alex George has written an introduction and provided the definitions used in the glossary. Margaret has drawn the flower head sections and the various leaf shapes and Alex George provided the text for the description of the Dryandra flower. Tony Cavanagh has included examples of the main leaf shapes and leaf margins to make it easier for users to follow the key.

Also provided is an index of species and a list of the major references to descriptions of dryandras.

To help in understanding the use of keys, Margaret has written a short introduction ‘How to use keys’ and given an example of the steps in identifying Dryandra fraseri var fraseri from the illustrated key.

In addition to the Image Gallery, detailed profiles of a number of Dryandra species have been incorporated into the Banksia section of the main ANPSA website (dryandras are listed there under their Banksia names, with the orresponding Dryandra names in parentheses). Each profile includes a photograph and information on natural distribution, taxonomy, cultivation and propagation.

In addition, the Banksia section of the website covers the characteristics, cultivation and propagation of dryandras and banksias generally, and includes references to other relevant resources.

View Dryandra Profiles View Banksia/Dryandra Characteristics

A paper published in February 2007^* proposed that the genus Dryandra be subsumed into Banksia. The paper published new names in Banksia for all (then) currently recognised Dryandra species. This revised classification has been accepted by the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria and the new names now appear on Florabase (the website for the Western Australian Herbarium) and in the Australian Plant Census

However, the reclassification has not met with universal approval. For example, Alex George, a highly respected authority on both Banksia and Dryandra, strongly opposes the change on scientific grounds. The two opposing views are set out in the following articles:

• You don’t have to call Dryandra Banksia” by Alex George.
• Why dryandras have changed their name by Kevin Thiele.

* Mast A R and Thiele K; The transfer of Dryandra R.Br. to Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae); Australian Systematic Botany, 26 February 2007

ANPSA recognises the Australian Plant Census as the authority on plant names and, accordingly, the revised classification has now been adopted on the ANPSA website. However, ANPSA’s Dryandra and Banksia Study Groups both regard the two genera as separate and, for this reason, the Banksia Study Group restricts its interest to the previous classification of approximately 80 species.

Whether dryandras are botanically known as Banksia or Dryandra, they are popular plants in native gardens and there are many resources available that will assist in growing these spectacular plants successfully. These include books, journals and numerous online sites.