What is Banksia in Australia?
Banksia in Australia is a genus of plant. Banksia flower heads look a bit like super-colourful toilet brushes.
Banksia in Australia is either a fairly common genus of plant or a suburb of Sydney. The suburb of Sydney is a pretty mundane place, so let’s concentrate on the plant, shall we?
Banksias produce striking-looking flower heads. These heads consist of dozens – sometimes hundreds – of small individual flowers. The overall effect makes the flower head look like a cone. It’s not a cone, of course – they only grown on conifers. But the appearance is highly distinctive.
What do Banksias look like?
Banksias look a little like toilet brushes, albeit particularly colourful ones. They come in many colours, usually on the yellow to red spectrum. The flowers on the same head can often be different shades, giving a gradient effect as you look up the flower head.
On the dull, technical front, Banksia is a genus within the Proteaceae family. There are 173 species of Banksia, and all but one of them grows in Australia.
Where can I find Banksias in Australia?
The south-western corner of Australia has the greatest range of Banksia species, although there are plenty in the south-east. There is very little crossover of species between western Australia and eastern Australia. Banksias are also much less common in the tropical rainforest regions, and barely seen at all
Because of their distinctive look, Banksias are popular garden plants. They’re frequently sold in garden centres and nurseries.
How did Banksia get its name?
The name Banksia comes from Sir Joseph Banks, who was one of two botanists on Lt James Cook’s Endeavour.
When the Endeavour charted the east coast of Australia in 1770, Sir Joseph Banks and colleague Dr Daniel Solander collected hundreds of plant species for scientific research. Several species of Banksia were among them.
In fact, it was the wealth of plant species that inspired the name for Cook’s first landing spot. Botany Bay is called Botany Bay because Banks and Solander found so many new species of flowers there.
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