Australian Native Plants

  Banksia blechnifolia (Southern Blechnum Banksia)


Banksia blechnifolia photo
Twin buds of Banksia blechnifolia, Maranoa Gardens, North Balwyn

Photograph by Cas Liber. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Banksia blechnifolia photo
Banksia blechnifolia

Photograph by PDH. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Banksia blechnifolia photo
Mature Banksia blechnifolia blooms Cult. Pennant Hills, NSW

Photograph by Cas Liber. License: Public Domain.    (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.



PLANT FACTS

distribution map showing range of Banksia blechnifolia in Australia

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


Common Name
Southern Blechnum Banksia

Description
The Southern Blechnum Banksia or Groundcover Banksia is a spreading prostrate shrub with horizontal stems and fern-like leathery leaves. The leaves are 25cm to 45 cm long and up to 10cm wide with deep triangular lobes. The reddish brown flowers grow in cylindrical spikes at ground level in late winter and spring. The 15cm tall flower spikes fade to grey as the flowers age. The fruit is a woody cone with large follicles. It is one of the easiest Western Australian Banksias for cultivation in humid climates. The plant does not have a lignotuber and regenerates from seed after bushfire.

Habitat
coastal sandy soils on plains and mallee country.

Distribution
south coastal plains region of Western Australia between Albany and Esperance.

Growth Characteristics
Height (m): 0.2 - 0.5
Spread (m): 2 - 4
Soil Texture: sand, loam, clay
Soil pH: soils with pH less than 8
Frost Sensitivity: moderately sensitive
Minimum Rainfall (mm): 400
Flower Colour: red / yellow
Flower Season: spring, summer

(source: SA State Flora Catalog)

Propagation
grows fairly easily from seed which takes 14 to 49 days to germinate

Wildlife Interest
birds, nectar



Classification
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Proteales
Family:Proteaceae
Genus:Banksia
Species:blechnifolia
Common Name:Southern Blechnum Banksia


Relatives in same Genus
  Banksia aculeata
  Banksia aemula
  Banksia anatona
  Banksia ashbyi
  Banksia attenuata
  Banksia audax
  Banksia baueri
  Banksia baxteri
  Banksia benthamiana
  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
  Banksia dallanneyi
  see A-Z list for more ...