Banksia armata var. ignicida is a variety of shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

 endemic to Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

.

Description

B. armata var. ignicida grows as an upright shrub, up to three metres in height, with deeply serrated leaves and yellow or sometimes pink inflorescences. Unlike B. armata var. armata

Banksia armata var. armata

Banksia armata var. armata is a variety of shrub endemic to Western Australia.-Description:B. armata var. armata grows as a spreading shrub, up to three metres in height, with deeply serrated leaves and a bright yellow inflorescence.-Distribution and habitat:It occurs throughout much...

, it lacks a lignotuber.

Distribution and habitat

It occurs through much of the south-west, being widespread between Pingelly

Pingelly, Western Australia

Pingelly is a town and shire located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, from Perth via the Brookton Highway and Great Southern Highway. The town is also located on the Great Southern railway line...

 and Katanning

Katanning, Western Australia

Katanning is a town located 277 km south east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Southern Highway. At the 2006 census, Katanning had a population of 3,808.-History:...

, and also between Esperance

Esperance, Western Australia

Esperance is a large town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately east-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The shire of Esperance is home to 9,536 people as of the 2006 census, its major industries are tourism, agriculture,...

 and Israelite Bay. It grows amongst tall scrub on a range of sandy and rocky soils.

Taxonomy

Specimens of B. armata were first collected in 1801, and the species was published in 1810 as Dryandra armata. In 1996, Alex George

Alex George

Alexander Segger George is a Western Australian botanist. He is the authority on the plant genera Banksia and Dryandra...

 published D. armata var. ignicida based on a type specimen collected by him east of Woodanilling

Woodanilling, Western Australia

Woodanilling is a small town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 254 km south of Perth on the Great Southern Highway, 24 km from Katanning and 30 km from Wagin....

. The varietal epithet is from the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 ignis ("fire") and -cidus ("killing"), in reference to the fact that this variety is killed by fire (because it lacks a lignotuber). In 2007, all Dryandra species were transferred to Banksia

Banksia

Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...

 by Austin Mast

Austin Mast

Austin R. Mast is a research botanist. Born in 1972, he obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2000. He is currently an associate professor within the Department of Biological Science at Florida State University , and has been director of FSU's since August 2003.One of his...

 and Kevin Thiele

Kevin Thiele

Kevin R. Thiele is curator of the Western Australian Herbarium. His research interests include the systematics of the plant families Proteaceae, Rhamnaceae and Violaceae, and the conservation ecology of grassy woodland ecosystems...

; hence the current name of this variety is Banksia armata var. ignicida (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele.