BANKSIA SPINULOSA

The 'Hairpin Banksia' (''B. spinulosa'') is a species of woody shrub of the genus ''Banksia'' in the Proteaceae family native to eastern Australia. Widely distributed, it is found from Victoria to north Queensland, generally on on sandstone though sometimes also clay soils as an understorey plant in open sclerophyll forest or heathland. It generally a small shrub to 2 m (7 ft) in height, though can be a straggly tree to 6 m (20 ft). It has long narrow leaves with inflorescences which can vary considerably in colour; the perianth is generally gold or less commonly yellowish, giving the spikes an orange or yellow overall colour, with styles varying from black, purple, red, orange or yellow.
''Banksia spinulosa'' was named by botanist James Edward Smith in England in 1793, after a likely collection in 1792 by John White. He gave it the common name 'Prickly-leaved Banksia', though this has fallen out of use. With four currently recognised varieties, it has had a complicated taxonomic history, with two initially described as separate species in the early 19th century. A fourth from the New England region has only recently been described. However there has been disagreement whether one of the varieties, var. ''cunninghamii'', is distinct enough to once again have specific status. George concedes there is still more work to be done on the Hairpin Banksia.
The Hairpin Banksia is pollinated by and provides food for a wide array of vertebrate and invertebrate animals in the autumn and winter months. Its floristic display and fine foliage has made it a popular garden plant with many horticultural selections available. With recent trends to smaller gardens, compact dwarf forms of ''Banksia spinulosa'' have become popular; the first available, ''Banksia'' "Birthday Candles", has achieved a great deal of commercial success and wide recognition and has been followed by several others including "Coastal Cushion", "Stumpy Gold" and "Honey Pots".

Contents

Description

Distribution and habitat

Taxonomy

Placement within ''Banksia''

Varieties

Hybrids

Ecology

Cultivation

Cultivars

Gallery

References

Texts cited

External links

Description

The Hairpin Banksia usually occurs as a multistemmed lignotuberous shrub from 1-3 metres (3-10 ft) tall and 1-2 metres (3-7 ft) across. Alternatively, it may be single-stemmed without a lignotuber, in which case it is often taller, up to 5 metres (16 ft) high. It has grey or grey-brown smooth bark with lenticels, and long, narrow leaves with serrated edges.
Flowers occur in ''Banksia's distinctive inflorescences or flower spikes. Within a spike, each individual flower consists of a tubular perianth made up of four united tepals, and one long wiry style. Characteristic of the taxonomic section in which it is placed, the styles are hooked rather than straight. The style ends are initially trapped inside the upper perianth parts, but break free at anthesis. In ''Banksia spinulosa'' the spikes are cylindrical, about 6-7 centimetres (3-3.5 in) wide and 10-20 centimetres (4-9 in) tall, yellow to golden orange in colour, with styles of yellow, orange, red, pink, maroon or black. Styles of various colours may be found within metres of each other in some areas (such as in the Georges River National Park, and Catherine Hill Bay), while other populations may have uniformly black, red or gold styles. Flowering occurs over a long period through autumn and early winter.
The Hairpin Banksia's infructescence is a typical ''Banksia'' "cone", with up to 100 embedded follicles. The old flower parts usually persist for a long time, giving the "cone" a hairy appearance. In Central and North Queensland, old cones of both var. ''spinulosa'' and var. ''collina'' are generally bare.

Distribution and habitat

Hairpin Banksia occurs along the east coast of Australia from the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne, Victoria, north through New South Wales and into Queensland. It is common north to Maryborough, with disjunct populations occurring as far north as the Atherton Tableland near Cairns.
It occurs in a variety of habitats, from coastal heath to inland dry sclerophyll forest dominated by eucalypts. It usually occurs on sand, but can be found in rocky clays or loams.

Taxonomy

The ''Banksia'' infructescence in this drawing may be the first published reference to ''B. spinulosa''.

James Sowerby's painting of ''B. spinulosa'', which accompanied James Edward Smith's formal publication of the species in 1793.

The first known specimens of ''B. spinulosa'' were collected from near Sydney by John White, Surgeon General to the British colony of New South Wales, sometime between 1788 and 1793. It is uncertain exactly when he first collected the species; it may have been before 1790, as there is speculation that a sketch in his 1790 ''Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales'' is of a ''B. spinulosa'' infructescence. Text accompanying the figure states James Edward Smith later tentatively attributed this figure to ''B. spinulosa'': More recently, however, Alf Salkin has argued that
White probably collected the type material of ''B. spinulosa'' in 1792.^[1] The following year, the species was formally described by Smith in his ''A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland''. It was thus the seventh ''Banksia'' species collects, and the fifth described. Smith gave it the specific epithet "spinulosa", a Latin term meaning ''having minute spines'', probably in reference to the leaf tips. Thus the species' full name is '''Banksia spinulosa'' Sm.'^[2]
Franz Sieber collected ''Banksia cunninghamii'' from the Blue Mountains in 1823, naming it in honour of fellow collector Allan Cunningham.
Ferdinand von Mueller collected and named ''Banksia prionophylla'' in Victoria in 1856, though George cites this as a ''nomen nudum''. In any case, this has long been sunk into ''cunninghamii''. However, the large distance (700 km) between forms and some distinguishing features led Salkin to resurrect the name for the Victorian populations. This has not been recognised elsewhere.

Placement within ''Banksia''

''Banksia spinulosa'' lies within series ''Banksia'' ser. ''Spicigerae'', together with ''Banksia ericifolia'' and various western Hairpin-like Banksias such as ''B. seminuda'' and ''B. brownii''. This series in placed in ''Banksia'' sect. ''Oncostylis'' according to Alex George's taxonomy of Banksia, Flora of Australia: Volume 17B: Proteaceae 3: Hakea to Dryandra, , A. S., George, , 1999, but directly into ''Banksia'' subg. ''Banksia'' in Thiele's arrangement based on cladistic analysis.^[3] Kevin Thiele additionally placed the four Hairpin taxa in a subseries ''Spinulosae'', but this was not supported by George.
Under George's taxonomic arrangement of ''Banksia'', ''B. spinulosa'''s taxonomic placement may be summarised as follows:
:'Genus ''Banksia'''
::'Subgenus ''Banksia'''
:::Section ''Banksia''
:::Section ''Coccinea''
:::'Section ''Oncostylis'''
::::'Series ''Spicigerae'''
:::::'''B. spinulosa''' - ''B. ericifolia'' - ''B. verticillata'' - ''B. seminuda'' - ''B. littoralis'' - ''B. occidentalis'' - ''B. brownii''
::::Series ''Tricuspidae''
::::Series ''Dryandroidae''
::::Series ''Abietinae''
::Subgenus ''Isostylis''
More recent molecular research suggests that ''B. spinulosa'' and ''B. ericifolia'' may be more closely related to series ''Banksia'' ser. ''Salicinae'', with ''Banksia integrifolia'' and its relatives.^[4]
In 2005, Austin Mast, Eric Jones and Shawn Havery published the results of their cladistic analyses of DNA sequence data for ''Banksia''. They inferred a phylogeny very greatly different from the accepted taxonomic arrangement, including finding ''Banksia'' to be paraphyletic with respect to ''Dryandra''.^[5] A new taxonomic arrangement was not published at the time, but early in 2007 Mast and Thiele initiated a rearrangement by transferring ''Dryandra'' to ''Banksia'', and publishing ''B.'' subg. ''Spathulatae'' for the species having spoon-shaped cotyledons; in this way they also redefined the autonym ''B.'' subg. ''Banksia''. They foreshadowed publishing a full arrangement once DNA sampling of ''Dryandra'' was complete; in the meantime, if Mast and Thiele's nomenclatural changes are taken as an interim arrangement, then ''B. spinulosa'' is placed in ''B.'' subg. ''Spathulatae''.^[6]

Varieties

Four varieties are currently recognised:
#''B. s.'' var. ''collina'' - the 'Hill Banksia' or 'Golden Candlesticks', as this form is often known as, is found in inland gorges and tablelands, such as Carnarvon Gorge, Expedition National Park, Isla Gorge and Dicks Tableland in a remote part of Eungella National Park, in Central Queensland but coastal on the NSW central and north coast. It is more often found with all-gold inflorescences or gold with red styles. It was originally collected by George Caley and named as a species by Robert Brown in 1804. many older books still refer to it as a separate species but it was reclassified as a variety of ''Banksia spinulosa'' by Alex George in 1981.
#''B. s.'' var. ''spinulosa'' - the true 'Hairpin Banksia', this plant is coastal in Queensland, seen in such places as Walsh's Pyramid (near Cairns), Byfield National Park and the Blackdown Tableland, Blackdown Tableland, , Ann, McHugh, Australian Plants, 2005 then again in New South Wales south of the Hawkesbury River, just north of Sydney, down the New South Wales South Coast and into Victoria. Intermediate forms with var. ''collina'' are seen in the vicinity of the Hawkesbury River.^[7] It commonly has black, maroon or claret styles on gold spikes but all-gold inflorescences are seen.
#''B. s.'' var. ''neoanglica'' - known as the 'New England Banksia', this plant is found in the New England Region of far northern New South Wales and Southeastern Queensland. It is a short lignotuberous shrub to 1 metre in height. Inflorescences are gold with black styles.

''B. cunninghamii'', Lyrebird Dell walk, Leura, Blue Mountains

#''B. s.'' var. ''cunninghamii'' - this plant is a fast-growing nonlignotuberous shrub to 6 metres in height, occurring in the Great Dividing Range from southeast Queensland to southern New South Wales and also in Victoria. Inflorescences are generally gold with black styles, though an all-yellow form from Victoria is known. Originally collected by Franz Sieber and named in 1827 as a species. It was reclassified as a variety of ''Banksia spinulosa'' by Alex George in 1981, though some eastern states taxonomists and botanists hold it as a species. Flora of New South Wales: Volume 2 (Revised Edition), Harden, Gwen, , , New South Wales University Press, Kensington, 2002, ISBN 0-86840-156-0 ^[8] George notes that at locations where both var. ''spinulosa'' and var. ''cunninghamii'' coexist, such as Fitzroy Falls in Lawson that no intermediate forms occur.
However, some doubt exists as to whether the current taxa accurately represent relationships within the ''Banksia spinulosa'' complex. ''B. s. collina'' is a form of inland gorges and tablelands in central Queensland, but is a coastal plant on the New South Wales central and north coast. ''B. s. spinulosa'', on the other hand, is coastal in central Queensland and in New South Wales south of Sydney. Similarly, ''Banksia cunninghamii'' is widely separated between NSW and Victorian forms (where the longer leaved form was originally called ''B. prionophylla'' by Meisner). Notably both ''B. s.'' var ''spinulosa'' and ''B. s.'' var. ''collina'' in northern Queensland have old spikes bare as opposed to them having persistent old flower parts in New South Wales and Victoria. Mast (1998) showed ''B. s.'' var. ''collina'' and ''B. s.'' var. ''neoanglica'' as sister clades, with ''B. s.'' var. ''spinulosa'' and ''B. s.'' var. ''cunninghamii'' flanking these. A molecular study with specimens of each subspecies from the three mainland eastern states they occur should shed light on this.

Hybrids

Hybrids between ''B. s.'' var. ''spinulosa'' and ''B. ericifolia'' subsp. ''ericifolia'' have been recorded at Pigeon House Mountain in Morton National Park.Harden. p171 ''Banksia'' "Giant Candles" was a chance garden hybrid between ''B. ericifolia'' and ''B. spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii''.^[9]

Ecology

Banksias have been the subject of many studies on what pollinates them; ''Banksia spinulosa'' is no exception. A 1982 study in the New England National Park in North-eastern New South Wales found that there was a large influx of Eastern Spinebills ''(Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)'' which coincided with the start of flowering of ''Banksia spinulosa'' there^[10].
In the Blackdown Tableland, White-eared Honeyeaters ''(Lichenostomus leucotis)'' and Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters ''(Lichenostomus melanops)'' as well as gliders and Pygmy Possums visit Hairpin banksias. A 1998 study in Bungawalbin National Park in Northern New South Wales found that ''B. spinulosa'' var. ''collina'' inflorescences are foraged by a variety of small mammals, including marsupials (such as Yellow-footed Antechinus, which carry pollen loads comparable to those of nectariferous birds, making them effective pollinators.^[11] The same study noted that ''B. spinulosa'' var. ''collina'' was visited predominantly by native bees rather than the honeybee ''Apis mellifera'' in contrast to the other banksias studied.
Like most other Proteaceae, ''B. ericifolia'' has proteoid roots, roots with dense clusters of short lateral rootlets that form a mat in the soil just below the leaf litter. These enhance solubilisation of nutrients, allowing nutrient uptake in low-nutrient soils such as the phosphorus-deficient native soils of Australia.Harden. p70
''B. spinulosa'' does not appear to be under threat. It is resistant to ''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' dieback, which poses a major threat to many other ''Banksia'' species;^[12] and its wide distribution protects against the threat of habitat loss due to land clearing. As a result, it does not appear on the list of threatened Australian plants under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Cultivation

''B.'' 'Birthday Candles' (L) & ''B. 'Stumpy Gold' (R), showing greyer foliage of latter, Kuranga Nursery

In general, all forms of the Hairpin Banksia prefer sandy well-drained soils with sunny aspect, though some local forms hailing from Wianamatta shales may do well on heavier soils. It is resistant to dieback, like most eastern banksias^[13]. As it grows naturally on acid soils, ''Banksia spinulosa'' is particularly sensitive to iron deficiency. Known as chlorosis, this can be seen as yellowing of new leaves with preservation of green veins, can occur when planted in soils of high pH. This can happen where soil contains quantities of cement, either as landfill or building foundations. It can be treated with iron chelate or iron sulfate.^[14]
The variety most commonly seen in nurseries is variety ''B. s.'' var. ''collina''. Given that the varieties hybridise, attempting to find a local provenance form from a local community nursery, Bushcare or Australian Plants Society group is preferable environmentally. There are some dwarf forms available for the city gardener - 'Stumpy Gold' is a form of variety ''collina'' originally from the Central Coast, while 'Birthday Candles', 'Coastal Cushion' and 'Golden Cascade' are forms of variety ''spinulosa'' from the South Coast of New South Wales. Update on Eastern Cultivars, Liber C, , , Banksia Study Group Newsletter, 2004 The Hairpin Banksia can be propagated easily by seed, and is one of the (relatively) easier banksias to propagate by cutting.^[15]

Cultivars

The following is a list of cultivars commercially available:

★ '''B. s.'' var. ''collina'' 'Carnarvon Gold'' – This is an all-gold flowered form with long leaves with revolute margins which grows to around 2-5 m (7-25 ft) in height and 2-4 m (7-14 ft) across. The old flowers fall from spikes, from Carnarvon Gorge in central Queensland.^[16]

★ '''B. s.'' var. ''collina'' 'Stumpy Gold'' - spreading form (40 cm high by up to 1.2 m across) with light gold flowers 15 cm high by 6 cm across from the vicinity of Catherine Hill Bay on the New South Wales Central Coast, propagated by Richard Anderson of Merricks Nursery.Stewart. p101 Comes from a silty loam so theoretically should tolerate a heavier soil than 'Coastal Cushion'. Leaves are a more subdued green with greyish tinge than the south coast NSW spinulosa cultivars.

★ '''B. s.'' var. ''spinulosa'' 'Birthday Candles'' – the original trailblazer, a compact plant growing to 45 cm tall and up to 100 cm across with red-styled gold flowers 15 cm high by 6 cm across. Leaves narrow and attractive lime green new growth. Stems and branches naturally crooked. Under PBR by Bill Molyneux (Austraflora). Original provenance on headland hear Ulladulla on the New South Wales South Coast. It appears to fare better in Mediterranean climates with reports of patchy performance in Sydney (though better in pots) and unreliability in Brisbane. There are reports of it flowering in alternate years only. It is reported to be an unreliable survivor, although this may be due to it being popular to novices.

''Banksia spinulosa'', 'Coastal Cushion' in Kenthurst

★ '''B. s.'' var. ''spinulosa'' 'Cherry Candles'' – Bred by Bill Molyneux from the 'Birthday Candles' cultivar, this is a compact plant growing to 45 cm tall and up to 100 cm across with cherry red-styled gold flowers, darker than its parent, 15 cm high by 6 cm across. It was released commercially in Spring 2004.

★ '''B. s.'' var. ''spinulosa'' 'Coastal Cushion'' (= ''Schnapper Point'') – originally collected by Neil Marriott and called 'Schnapper Point' from the same locality as 'Birthday Candles', this is a more spreading plant to 50 cm tall and up to 1.5-2 m across with dark red-styled gold flowers (a couple of shades darker than 'Birthday Candles') 15 cm high by 6 cm across. It is very floriferous and seems to be more adaptable to points north than other dwarf forms – growing reliably in southeastern Queensland. It is propagated by Richard Anderson of Merricks Nursery.Stewart. p100

★ '''B. s.'' 'Coastal Candles'', propagated by Merv Hodge, came from Philip Vaughan's 'Schnapper Point' plant. Some plants are behaving differently, so it may be that not all material is the exact same clone.

''Banksia spinulosa'' 'Honey Pots'

★ '''B. s.'' var. ''spinulosa'' 'Golden Cascade'' – yet another plant from the same locality as ''Birthday Candles'', this is more spreading again, to perhaps 30 cm tall and up to 1.5-2 m across with red-styled gold flowers 15 cm high by 6 cm across. It is also seen as ''B. spinulosa'' 'prostrate'. Propagated by Gondwana Nursery, this is a relatively new release.

★ '''B. s.'' var. ''spinulosa'' 'Honey Pots'' – a form with all gold flowers to 20 cm high (taller than forms listed above), however it is a little larger with reports of it growing to 1 m high, with odd reports of it getting taller than this, by 1.2 m across. It comes from south coast in Victoria, propagated by Rod Parsons of Carawah Nursery in Victoria.

★ '''B. s.'' var. ''spinulosa''' (dwarf forms) – Rod Parsons of Carawah Nursery in Victoria has two red-styled fairly compact dwarf forms, one (all serrated – slow growing, possibly ''collina'') growing to 1 m, the (leaf ends serrated only, faster growing) other 1.5 m – and there are others reported but not named.

★ '''B. s.'' var ''cunninghamii'' 'Lemon Glow'' – registered with ACRA in 1982 by Alf Salkin, this hails from French Island and grows to 2 or 3 m with all lemon yellow flowers. Currently propagated by Phillip Vaughan and Kuranga Nursery, both in Melbourne.
There is a form sold as a ''Banksia (spinulosa) cunninghamii'' variant, propagated by Bournda Plants of Tura Beach on the NSW south coast. The plants reach 70 cm after four years and have black-styled gold inflorescences. The form came from David Shiels of Wakiti Nursery in Victoria, who got it from Alf Salkin. It has a white underside (not brownish) and has a couple of serrations close to the tip of the leaf, typical of ''B. s.'' var. ''spinulosa''.

Gallery

References

1.
2.
3. A Cladistic Analysis of Banksia (Proteaceae), , Kevin, Thiele, Australian Systematic Botany, 1996
4.
5. An Assessment of Old and New DNA sequence evidence for the Paraphyly of Banksia with respect to Dryandra (Proteaceae), , Austin R., Mast, Australian Systematic Botany, 2005
6. The transfer of Dryandra R.Br. to Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae), , Austin R., Mast, Australian Systematic Botany, 2007
7. Harden. p170
8. Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation: Supplement No. 1, Eliot RW, Jones DL, Blake T, , , Lothian Press, 1995,
9. Banksia 'Giant Candles' Australian Cultivar Registration Authority
10. Ford HA & Pursey JF. (1982)Status and feeding of the Eastern Spinebill ''Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris'' at the New England National Park, North-eastern NSW. ''Emu'' '82'(4) 203 - 211
11. Pollination of Banksia spp. by non-flying mammals in north-eastern New South Wales, , Damian J., Hackett, Australian Journal of Botany,
12. Variability in the resistance of Banksia L.f. species to Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands., McCredie, T. A., K. W. Dixon and K. Sivasithamparam, , , Australian Journal of Botany, 1985
13. McCredie TA, Dixon KW, Sivasithamparam K. (1985) Variability in the resistance of ''Banksia'' L.f. species to ''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' Rands. ''Australian Journal of Botany''. '(33)': 629-637.
14. Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation: Vol. 2, Eliot RW, Jones DL, Blake T, , , Lothian Press, 1985,
15. Propagation of Banksias, , R, Maclean, Banksia Study Report, 1995
16. The Collection of Eastern Banksias, , A, Salkin, Banksia Study Report, 1995

Texts cited

★ Flora of New South Wales: Volume 2 (Revised Edition), , Gwen, Harden, New South Wales University Press, 2002,

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★ Gardening on the Wild Side, , Angus, Stewart, ABC Books, 2001,

External links

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