The Ashby's Banksia is a species of shrub in the plant

Plant

Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...

 genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 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...

. It occurs in heath and spinifex

Spinifex

Spinifex may refer to:* Spinifex , a genus of grass which is indigenous to the coastal areas of Australasia and Indonesia* Triodia , a hummock grass of arid Australia, covering twenty percent of the Australian continent ** Spinifex resin* Spinifex people, or Pila Nguru, an Australian...

 country along the coast of 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...

 between Geraldton

Geraldton, Western Australia

Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...

 and Exmouth

Exmouth, Western Australia

-Further reading:* Western Australia. Ministry for Planning. Exmouth-Learmonth structure plan. Perth, W.A. : Western Australian Planning Commission...

.

Description

This shrub grows up to 4m high and 2m wide, lobed leaves grow to 150mm in length. The flower spikes are orange in colour growing 150mm high 90mm wide. B.ashbyi flowers from September to November.

Taxonomy

There are two subspecies, distinguished by habit:

• B. ashbyi subsp. ashbyi
  Banksia ashbyi subsp. ashbyi
  Banksia ashbyi subsp. ashbyi is a recently recognised subspecies of Banksia ashbyi. It is the non-lignotuberous arborescent form of the species, which occurs between Geraldton and Shark Bay, and in the Kennedy Ranges.-Description:...
  
   grows as a tree up to seven metres in height. It lacks a lignotuber
  Lignotuber
  A lignotuber is a starchy swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem by fire. The crown contains buds from which new stems may sprout, and a sufficient store of nutrients to support a period of growth in the absence of...
  
  , so is fire-sensitive.
• B. ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia
  Banksia ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia
  Banksia ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia is a recently recognised subspecies of Banksia ashbyi. It is the lignotuberous form of the species, and occurs along the north-west coast of Western Australia, between Carnarvon and North West Cape.-Description:...
  
   grows as a sprawling shrub no more than two metres high. It is lignotuberous, so fire-tolerant.

Ecology

An assessment of the potential impact of climate change

Climate change

Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...

on this species found that its range is unlikely to contract and may actually grow, depending on how effectively it migrates into newly habitable areas.

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