Australian Native Plants

  Banksia occidentalis (Red Swamp Banksia)


Banksia occidentalis photo
Banksia occidentalis (flower). Location: Maui, Kula Experiment Station

Photograph by Forest & Kim Starr. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)



Growth Characteristics information is sourced from: State Flora Catalog, Government of South Australia Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.



RED SWAMP BANKSIA FACTS

distribution map showing range of Banksia occidentalis in Australia

Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License


Common Name
Red Swamp Banksia

Other Names
Waterbush

Description
The Red Swamp Banksia is a shrub growing to around two metres or small tree growing to seven metres tall. It has smooth greyish brown bark. The leaves are long and narrow growing to about 12 cm in length and 3 mm wide. It produces cylindrical clusters of red flowers in summer and autumn. The flower spikes are up to 14 cm tall and about 7 cm wide. The flowers are followed by woody cones that remain on the plant.

Habitat
grows in sandy or peaty soils in swamps , depressions and low lying areas

Distribution
Red Swamp Banksia is found on southern coastal Western Australia from Margaret River through Albany and Esperance.

Growth Characteristics
Height (m): 3 - 7
Spread (m): 2 - 3
Soil Texture: sand, clay, loam
Soil pH: soils with pH less than 8
Frost Sensitivity: moderately sensitive
Minimum Rainfall (mm): 600
Flower Colour: red
Flower Season: summer, autumn

(source: SA State Flora Catalog)

Wildlife Interest
birds, nectar

Classification
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Proteales
Family:Proteaceae
Genus:Banksia
Species:occidentalis
Common Name:Red Swamp Banksia


Relatives in same Genus
  Banksia aculeata
  Banksia aemula
  Banksia anatona
  Banksia ashbyi
  Banksia attenuata
  Banksia audax
  Banksia baueri
  Banksia baxteri
  Banksia benthamiana
  Banksia blechnifolia
  Banksia brownii
  Banksia burdettii
  Banksia caleyi
  Banksia candolleana
  Banksia canei
  Banksia carlinoides
  Banksia chamaephyton
  Banksia coccinea
  Banksia conferta ssp conferta
  Banksia conferta ssp penicillata
  Banksia cuneata
  see A-Z list for more ...