Banksia canei
Encyclopedia
The mountain banksia is a species of shrub in the plant
genus
Banksia
. It occurs in subalpine
areas of the Great Dividing Range
between Melbourne
and Canberra
in southeastern Australia. Although no subspecies are recognised, four topodemes (geographically isolated populations) have been described, as there is significant variation in the shape of both adult and juvenile leaves between populations. Although superficially resembling B. marginata
, it is more closely related to another subalpine species, B. saxicola
.
Banksia canei is generally encountered as a many-branched shrub
that grows up to 3 m (10 ft) high, with narrow leaves and the yellow inflorescence
s (flower spikes) appearing from late summer to early winter. The old flowers fall off the spikes, and up to 150 finely furred follicles
develop, which remain closed until burnt in a bushfire. Each follicle bears two winged seeds. Response to fire is poorly known, although it is thought to regenerate by seed. Birds such as the Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
and various insects forage among the flower spikes. It is frost tolerant in cultivation, but copes less well with aridity or humidity, and is often short-lived in gardens. One cultivar
, Banksia "Celia Rosser", was registered in 1978, but has subsequently vanished.
s, initially reddish-brown before fading to grey tones. The stiff leaves are arranged
alternately along the stems and show significant variation in shape and size. Adult leaves are linear or narrowly obovate in shape, and generally measure 2–5 cm (0.8–2 in), though some populations have leaves as short as 1 cm (0.4 in) or as long as 10 cm (4 in). The juvenile leaves are generally larger and wider with dentate margins. New growth is seen mainly from February to April. The complex flower spikes, known as inflorescence
s, appear between December and May, peaking over February to April. They arise from nodes of 1–3-year-old branchlets or can be terminal. Cylindrical in shape, they are composed of a central woody spike, from which a large number of compact floral units arise perpendicularly to it. They are generally 5–10 cm (2–4 in) high and 3–5 cm (1.2–2 in) wide, but some do reach 15 cm (6 in) high. Mauve
-tinted in bud, they generally open to become pale yellow in colour. As with most banksias, anthesis
is acropetal; the opening of the individual buds proceeds up the flower spike from the base to the top. The flower limbs may be pale grey or blue-tinged, while the styles are yellow. As the inflorescences age, the old flowers fall away leaving a naked spike. Up to 150 follicles
develop, each covered in short fine fur which is initially pale brown but fades to green-grey and partly wears away. More or less elliptic in shape, they measure 12–18 mm (0.5–0.7 in) long, 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) high, and 4–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide, and mostly remain closed until burnt by fire, although a few may open after several years. They contain two fertile seeds each, between which lies a woody dark brown separator of similar shape to the seeds. Measuring 13 – in length, the seed is obovate, and composed of a dark brown 8 –-wide membranous 'wing' and crescent-shaped (lunate) seed proper which measures 6 – long by 2.5 – wide. The seed surface can be smooth or covered in tiny ridges, and often glistens. The resulting seedling first grows two obovate cotyledon
leaves, which may remain for several months as several more leaves appear.
had collected near Omeo
in 1853, and one found by Richard Hind Cambage
in 1908 near Kydra Peak. However, neither botanist considered this to be a new species at the time, instead holding it to be an unusual mountain form
of the locally widespread B. marginata
. Willis named the species after Victorian plantsman Bill Cane who had alerted authorities to the existence of an unusual banksia that was distinct from B. marginata some years previously. At the time, a plant collected from Mount Fulton near Port Davey in South West Tasmania
was thought to be B. canei, but it was later reassessed as B. marginata. B. canei can be distinguished by its larger follicles and sharp points to the leaves. In his 1981 monograph of the genus Banksia, Alex George
noted that despite a superficial resemblance to B. marginata, its bare old cones and stouter foliage indicated a closer relationship to B. integrifolia
and B. saxicola
, although it lacks the latter species' whorled leaf arrangement
. A fossil species, B. kingii
from the late Pleistocene
of Melaleuca Inlet in southwestern Tasmania, has robust foliage and infructescence
resembling those of B. canei and B. saxicola, and appears to be a recently extinct relative. The leaf of a much older fossil species Banksieaephyllum acuminatum from Oligocene
deposits in the Latrobe Valley
closely resembles B. canei in shape, anatomy and vein pattern.
The current taxonomic
arrangement of the Banksia genus is based on botanist Alex George's 1999 monograph for the Flora of Australia
book series. In this arrangement, B. canei is placed in Banksia subgenus
Banksia
, because its inflorescences take the form of Banksia' s characteristic flower spikes; section
Banksia
because of its straight styles; and series
Salicinae
because its inflorescences are cylindrical. Kevin Thiele
placed it in a subseries Integrifoliae, where he found strong support for it and B. saxicola to be each other's closest relative. The two were a sister group (i.e. next closest relative) to the four then-recognised subspecies of B. integrifolia. The subseries all bear whorled leaves apart from B. canei and B. aquilonia. However, this subgrouping of the Salicinae was not supported by George. He did place the two subalpine taxa (canei and saxicola) at the end of the sequence as he thought they were the most recently evolved species, since he considered the group to have a tropical origin and B. dentata to be the oldest lineage.
B. marginata' s placement within Banksia may be summarised as follows:
Since 1998, American botanist Austin Mast
and co-authors have been publishing results of ongoing cladistic analyses of DNA sequence
data for the subtribe Banksiinae
, which then comprised genera Banksia and Dryandra. Their analyses suggest a phylogeny
that differs greatly from George's taxonomic arrangement. Banksia canei resolves as an early offshoot within the series Salicinae. Early in 2007, Mast and Thiele rearranged the genus Banksia by merging Dryandra into it, and published B. subg. Spathulatae
for the taxa having spoon-shaped cotyledons; thus B. subg. Banksia was redefined as encompassing taxa lacking spoon-shaped cotyledons. They foreshadowed publishing a full arrangement once DNA sampling of Dryandra was complete; in the meantime, if Mast and Thiele's nomenclatural changes are taken as an interim arrangement, then B. canei is placed in B. subg. Spathulatae.
populations of Banksia canei have been recorded across alpine areas of southeastern Australia, generally at altitudes of 500 to 1000 m (1500–4000 ft) in northeastern Victoria and southeastern New South Wales
. One outlier at a lower altitude has been found on land partly cleared for agriculture at 250 m (800 ft) elevation at Yowrie. The species is listed as "Rare in Victoria" on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria. In a 1978 paper reviewing the species, Alf Salkin coined the term topodeme to indicate a geographically isolated population of plants, derived from the Ancient Greek
words topos "place" and deme "people" or "county (population)". Salkin described four populations (topodemes), each found in granite-based rocky soils in subalpine regions, and isolated from one another by wide river valleys. They would have occupied lower altitudes at cooler geological periods and higher altitudes in warmer times. Each of the main four populations varies from the others in their leaf morphology. Salkin observed that as the habitat and environment was similar across the range, the differences were secondary to genetic drift
, as certain traits have begun to dominate over others by chance as the populations begin to diverge genetically
.
Most populations are located south or east of the Great Dividing Range, the exception being the Snowy Mountains
population. The Kybean Range population is contiguous, while the others are fragmented. From west to east the populations are:
There is one report of naturalisation
in Western Australia, near Jerramungup
, on a road verge.
(Lichenostomus melanops), and bees, wasps and ants.
Banksia canei lacks a lignotuber
and appears to regenerate from bushfire by seed, although its response to fire has been little studied. The follicles remain closed until burnt, although some do open spontaneously after five years or so. The fungus Banksiamyces toomansis
, of the order Helotiales
, infects older cones and seed, and hence seed older than about five years is often not viable. Plectronidium australiense
is a species of anamorphic
fungus that was recovered from a dead branch of B. canei at Healesville Sanctuary
and described in 1986.
and Rylstone
. Banksia canei seed requires stratification
—storing at 5 °C (41 °F) for 60 days—before it germinates, which takes a further 6 to 25 days. Salkin proposed this was necessary so that seed released in a summer or autumn bushfire would lie dormant over the winter months before germinating in the spring. Banksia saxicola and some Banksia marginata seeds of subalpine provenance also share this trait.
In 1975, as part of a study on the four populations of B. canei, Salkin carried out germination experiments, producing around a thousand seedlings. In January that year, two seedlings from the Wulgulmerang population displayed deeply lobed (pinnatisect) leaves and a prostrate
habit. One died, but in April two seedlings from the Wellington River seed appeared which bore the same appearance. Both these younger seedlings died, but the one older plant survived. It was propagated and registered as a cultivar
Banksia 'Celia Rosser' on 28 May 1978, named in honour of Celia Rosser
, an artist who has illustrated many banksias. It produced flower spikes 4 cm (1.6 in) high and 4 cm (1.6 in) wide, which made up for their small size by their abundance. Salkin felt its importance lay not in its horticultural potential but in its appearance in two geographically distant populations. He felt it represented the reappearance of an earlier (possibly ancestral) form, representing "allelomorphs all but lost". However, the cultivar has since vanished.
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 subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
areas of the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
between Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
in southeastern Australia. Although no subspecies are recognised, four topodemes (geographically isolated populations) have been described, as there is significant variation in the shape of both adult and juvenile leaves between populations. Although superficially resembling B. marginata
Banksia marginata
Banksia marginata, commonly known as the Silver Banksia, is a species of tree or woody shrub in the plant genus Banksia found throughout much of southeastern Australia. It ranges from the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, to north of Armidale, New South Wales, and across Tasmania and the islands...
, it is more closely related to another subalpine species, B. saxicola
Banksia saxicola
Banksia saxicola, commonly known as the Grampians Banksia is a species of tree or shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs in Victoria in two distinct populations, one in The Grampians and the other on Wilsons Promontory....
.
Banksia canei is generally encountered as a many-branched 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...
that grows up to 3 m (10 ft) high, with narrow leaves and the yellow inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s (flower spikes) appearing from late summer to early winter. The old flowers fall off the spikes, and up to 150 finely furred follicles
Follicle (fruit)
In botany, a follicle is a dry unilocular many-seeded fruit formed from one carpel and dehiscing by the ventral suture in order to release seeds, such as in larkspur, magnolia, banksia, peony and milkweed....
develop, which remain closed until burnt in a bushfire. Each follicle bears two winged seeds. Response to fire is poorly known, although it is thought to regenerate by seed. Birds such as the Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
The Yellow-tufted Honeyeater is a passerine bird found in the south-east ranges of Australia from south-east Queensland through eastern New South Wales and across Victoria into the tip of Southeastern South Australia...
and various insects forage among the flower spikes. It is frost tolerant in cultivation, but copes less well with aridity or humidity, and is often short-lived in gardens. One cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
, Banksia "Celia Rosser", was registered in 1978, but has subsequently vanished.
Description
Banksia canei grows as a woody shrub to 3 m (10 ft) in height, usually with many branches. Its bark is smooth with horizontal lenticelLenticel
A lenticel is an airy aggregation of cells within the structural surfaces of the stems, roots, and other parts of vascular plants. It functions as a pore, providing a medium for the direct exchange of gasses between the internal tissues and atmosphere, thereby bypassing the periderm, which would...
s, initially reddish-brown before fading to grey tones. The stiff leaves are arranged
Phyllotaxis
In botany, phyllotaxis or phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem .- Pattern structure :...
alternately along the stems and show significant variation in shape and size. Adult leaves are linear or narrowly obovate in shape, and generally measure 2–5 cm (0.8–2 in), though some populations have leaves as short as 1 cm (0.4 in) or as long as 10 cm (4 in). The juvenile leaves are generally larger and wider with dentate margins. New growth is seen mainly from February to April. The complex flower spikes, known as inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s, appear between December and May, peaking over February to April. They arise from nodes of 1–3-year-old branchlets or can be terminal. Cylindrical in shape, they are composed of a central woody spike, from which a large number of compact floral units arise perpendicularly to it. They are generally 5–10 cm (2–4 in) high and 3–5 cm (1.2–2 in) wide, but some do reach 15 cm (6 in) high. Mauve
Mauve
Mauve is a pale lavender-lilac color, one of many in the range of purples. The color mauve is named after the mallow flower....
-tinted in bud, they generally open to become pale yellow in colour. As with most banksias, anthesis
Anthesis
Anthesis is the period during which a flower is fully open and functional. It may also refer to the onset of that period.The onset of anthesis is spectacular in some species. In Banksia species, for example, anthesis involves the extension of the style far beyond the upper perianth parts...
is acropetal; the opening of the individual buds proceeds up the flower spike from the base to the top. The flower limbs may be pale grey or blue-tinged, while the styles are yellow. As the inflorescences age, the old flowers fall away leaving a naked spike. Up to 150 follicles
Follicle (fruit)
In botany, a follicle is a dry unilocular many-seeded fruit formed from one carpel and dehiscing by the ventral suture in order to release seeds, such as in larkspur, magnolia, banksia, peony and milkweed....
develop, each covered in short fine fur which is initially pale brown but fades to green-grey and partly wears away. More or less elliptic in shape, they measure 12–18 mm (0.5–0.7 in) long, 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) high, and 4–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide, and mostly remain closed until burnt by fire, although a few may open after several years. They contain two fertile seeds each, between which lies a woody dark brown separator of similar shape to the seeds. Measuring 13 – in length, the seed is obovate, and composed of a dark brown 8 –-wide membranous 'wing' and crescent-shaped (lunate) seed proper which measures 6 – long by 2.5 – wide. The seed surface can be smooth or covered in tiny ridges, and often glistens. The resulting seedling first grows two obovate cotyledon
Cotyledon
A cotyledon , is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant. Upon germination, the cotyledon may become the embryonic first leaves of a seedling. The number of cotyledons present is one characteristic used by botanists to classify the flowering plants...
leaves, which may remain for several months as several more leaves appear.
Taxonomy
Banksia canei was first described in 1967 by James H. Willis, who had collected it on 27 November 1962 along the Mt. Seldom Seen track in the vicinity of Wulgulmerang, Victoria. Earlier collections include a specimen Ferdinand von MuellerFerdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
had collected near Omeo
Omeo, Victoria
Omeo is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Great Alpine Road, east of Mount Hotham, in the Shire of East Gippsland. At the 2006 census, Omeo had a population of 452. The name is derived from the Aboriginal word for 'mountains' or 'hills'...
in 1853, and one found by Richard Hind Cambage
Richard Hind Cambage
Richard Hind Cambage was an Australian surveyor and botanist who made important contributions to the description of the genera Acacia and Eucalyptus.-Early life:...
in 1908 near Kydra Peak. However, neither botanist considered this to be a new species at the time, instead holding it to be an unusual mountain form
Form (botany)
In botanical nomenclature, a form is one of the "secondary" taxonomic ranks, below that of variety, which in turn is below that of species; it is an infraspecific taxon...
of the locally widespread B. marginata
Banksia marginata
Banksia marginata, commonly known as the Silver Banksia, is a species of tree or woody shrub in the plant genus Banksia found throughout much of southeastern Australia. It ranges from the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, to north of Armidale, New South Wales, and across Tasmania and the islands...
. Willis named the species after Victorian plantsman Bill Cane who had alerted authorities to the existence of an unusual banksia that was distinct from B. marginata some years previously. At the time, a plant collected from Mount Fulton near Port Davey in South West Tasmania
South West Tasmania
South West Tasmania is a region in Tasmania that has evolved over the fifty years between its consideration as a potential resource for development to its consideration as World Heritage wilderness...
was thought to be B. canei, but it was later reassessed as B. marginata. B. canei can be distinguished by its larger follicles and sharp points to the leaves. In his 1981 monograph of the genus Banksia, Alex George
Alex George
Alexander Segger George is a Western Australian botanist. He is the authority on the plant genera Banksia and Dryandra...
noted that despite a superficial resemblance to B. marginata, its bare old cones and stouter foliage indicated a closer relationship to B. integrifolia
Banksia integrifolia
Banksia integrifolia, commonly known as Coast Banksia, is a species of tree that grows along the east coast of Australia. One of the most widely distributed Banksia species, it occurs between Victoria and Central Queensland in a broad range of habitats, from coastal dunes to mountains...
and B. saxicola
Banksia saxicola
Banksia saxicola, commonly known as the Grampians Banksia is a species of tree or shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs in Victoria in two distinct populations, one in The Grampians and the other on Wilsons Promontory....
, although it lacks the latter species' whorled leaf arrangement
Phyllotaxis
In botany, phyllotaxis or phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem .- Pattern structure :...
. A fossil species, B. kingii
Banksia kingii
Banksia kingii is an extinct species of tree or shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It is known only from fossil leaves and fruiting "cones" found in Late Pleistocene sediment at Melaleuca Inlet in western Tasmania. These were discovered by Deny King in the workings of his tin mine...
from the late Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
of Melaleuca Inlet in southwestern Tasmania, has robust foliage and infructescence
Infructescence
Infructescence is defined as the ensemble of fruits derived from ovaries of an inflorescence, structured according to the inflorescence scheme....
resembling those of B. canei and B. saxicola, and appears to be a recently extinct relative. The leaf of a much older fossil species Banksieaephyllum acuminatum from Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
deposits in the Latrobe Valley
Latrobe Valley
The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical region and urban area of Gippsland in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is east of the City Of Melbourne and nestled between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Great Dividing Range to the north – with the highest peak to the north of the...
closely resembles B. canei in shape, anatomy and vein pattern.
The current taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
arrangement of the Banksia genus is based on botanist Alex George's 1999 monograph for the Flora of Australia
Flora of Australia (series)
The Flora of Australia is a 59 volume series describing the vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens present in Australia and its external territories...
book series. In this arrangement, B. canei is placed in Banksia subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
Banksia
Banksia subg. Banksia
Banksia subg. Banksia is a valid botanic name for a subgenus of Banksia. As an autonym, it necessarily contains the type species of Banksia, B. serrata . Within this constraint, however, there have been various circumscriptions.-Banksia verae:B. subg...
, because its inflorescences take the form of Banksia
Section (botany)
In botany, a section is a taxonomic rank below the genus, but above the species. The subgenus, if present, is higher than the section, and the rank of series, if present, is below the section. Sections are typically used to help organise very large genera, which may have hundreds of species...
Banksia
Banksia sect. Banksia
Banksia sect. Banksia is one of four sections of Banksia subgenus Banksia. It contains those species of subgenus Banksia with straight or sometimes curved but not hooked styles. These species all have cylindrical inflorescences and usually exhibit a bottom-up sequence of flower anthesis...
because of its straight styles; and series
Series (botany)
Series is a low-level taxonomic rank below that of section but above that of species.In botany, a series is a subdivision of a genus...
Salicinae
Banksia ser. Salicinae
Banksia ser. Salicinae is a valid botanic name for a series of Banksia. First published by Carl Meissner in 1856, the name has had three circumscriptions.-According to Meissner:...
because its inflorescences are cylindrical. 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...
placed it in a subseries Integrifoliae, where he found strong support for it and B. saxicola to be each other's closest relative. The two were a sister group (i.e. next closest relative) to the four then-recognised subspecies of B. integrifolia. The subseries all bear whorled leaves apart from B. canei and B. aquilonia. However, this subgrouping of the Salicinae was not supported by George. He did place the two subalpine taxa (canei and saxicola) at the end of the sequence as he thought they were the most recently evolved species, since he considered the group to have a tropical origin and B. dentata to be the oldest lineage.
- Genus BanksiaBanksiaBanksia 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...
- Subgenus
Banksia subg. IsostylisBanksia subg. Isostylis is a subgenus of Banksia. It contains three closely related species, all of which occur only in Southwest Western Australia. Members of subgenus Isostylis have dome-shaped flower heads that are superficially similar to those of B. ser... - Subgenus BanksiaBanksia subg. BanksiaBanksia subg. Banksia is a valid botanic name for a subgenus of Banksia. As an autonym, it necessarily contains the type species of Banksia, B. serrata . Within this constraint, however, there have been various circumscriptions.-Banksia verae:B. subg...
- Section OncostylisBanksia sect. OncostylisBanksia sect. Oncostylis is one of four sections of subgenus Banksia subg. Banksia. It contains those Banksia species with hooked pistils. All of the species in Oncostylis also exhibit a top-down sequence of flower anthesis, except for Banksia nutans which is bottom-up.Banksia sect...
- Section CoccineaBanksia coccineaBanksia coccinea, commonly known as the Scarlet Banksia, Waratah Banksia or Albany Banksia, is an erect shrub or small tree in the plant genus Banksia...
- Section BanksiaBanksia sect. BanksiaBanksia sect. Banksia is one of four sections of Banksia subgenus Banksia. It contains those species of subgenus Banksia with straight or sometimes curved but not hooked styles. These species all have cylindrical inflorescences and usually exhibit a bottom-up sequence of flower anthesis...
- Series
Banksia ser. GrandesBanksia ser. Grandes is a taxonomic series in the genus Banksia. It consists of two closely related species in section Banksia, both endemic to Western Australia. These are B. grandis and B. solandri .... - Series BanksiaBanksia ser. BanksiaBanksia ser. Banksia is avalid botanic name for a series of Banksia. As an autonym, it necessarily contains the type species of Banksia, B. serrata . Within this constraint, however, there have been various circumscriptions.-According to Bentham:Banksia ser. Banksia originated in 1870 as...
- Series CrocinaeBanksia ser. CrocinaeBanksia ser. Crocinae is a taxonomic series in the genus Banksia. It consists of four closely related species, all of which are endemic to Western Australia; namely B. prionotes , B. burdettii , B. hookeriana and B. victoriae...
- Series ProstrataeBanksia ser. ProstrataeBanksia ser. Prostratae is a taxonomic series in the genus Banksia. It consists of six closely related species in section Banksia, all endemic to Western Australia, with a prostrate habit.Banksia ser...
- Series CyrtostylisBanksia ser. CyrtostylisBanksia ser. Cyrtostylis is a valid botanic name for a taxonomic series within the plant genus Banksia. First published at sectional rank by George Bentham in 1870, it was demoted to a series by Alex George in 1981. The name has had three circumscriptions.-According to Bentham:Bentham published B....
- Series TetragonaeBanksia ser. TetragonaeBanksia ser. Tetragonae is a taxonomic series in the genus Banksia. It consists of three closely related species of erect shrub with pendulous inflorescences in section Banksia. These are B. lemanniana , B. caleyi and B. aculeata ....
- Series Bauerinae
- Series QuercinaeBanksia ser. QuercinaeBanksia ser. Quercinae is avalid botanic name for a series of Banksia. First published by Carl Meissner in 1856, the name has had three circumscriptions.-According to Meissner:...
- Series SalicinaeBanksia ser. SalicinaeBanksia ser. Salicinae is a valid botanic name for a series of Banksia. First published by Carl Meissner in 1856, the name has had three circumscriptions.-According to Meissner:...
- B. dentataBanksia dentataThe Tropical Banksia is a species of small tree in the plant genus Banksia.-Distribution and habitat:It occurs throughout northern Australia, and also extends into New Guinea and the Aru Islands...
– B. aquiloniaBanksia aquiloniaBanksia aquilonia is a species of tall shrub or tree in the plant genus Banksia.-Description:B. aquilonia grows as a tall shrub or small tree up to 8 metres high. It has hard, fissured, grey bark, and elliptic leaves without serrated margins...
– B. integrifoliaBanksia integrifoliaBanksia integrifolia, commonly known as Coast Banksia, is a species of tree that grows along the east coast of Australia. One of the most widely distributed Banksia species, it occurs between Victoria and Central Queensland in a broad range of habitats, from coastal dunes to mountains...
– B. plagiocarpaBanksia plagiocarpaBanksia plagiocarpa, commonly known as the Dallachy's banksia or blue banksia, is a species of shrub or tree in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs only on Hinchinbrook Island, Queensland and the immediately adjacent mainland....
– B. oblongifoliaBanksia oblongifoliaThe Fern-leaved Banksia is a species of shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs along the eastern coast of Australia from Wollongong, New South Wales in the south to Rockhampton, Queensland in the north...
– B. roburBanksia roburBanksia robur, commonly known as Swamp Banksia or, less commonly, Broad-leaved Banksia grows in sand or peaty sand in coastal areas from Cooktown in north Queensland to the Illawarra region on the New South Wales south coast...
– B. confertaBanksia confertaThe Glasshouse Banksia is a species of montane shrub or small tree in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs as distinct subspecies in two widely separated locations: B. conferta subsp. conferta in southern Queensland on the Lamington Plateau and further north in the Glass House Mountains; and...
– B. paludosaBanksia paludosaBanksia paludosa, commonly known as the marsh or swamp banksia, is a species of shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It is endemic to New South Wales, where it is found between Sydney and Batemans Bay, with an isolate population further south around Eden...
– B. marginataBanksia marginataBanksia marginata, commonly known as the Silver Banksia, is a species of tree or woody shrub in the plant genus Banksia found throughout much of southeastern Australia. It ranges from the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, to north of Armidale, New South Wales, and across Tasmania and the islands...
– B. canei – B. saxicolaBanksia saxicolaBanksia saxicola, commonly known as the Grampians Banksia is a species of tree or shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs in Victoria in two distinct populations, one in The Grampians and the other on Wilsons Promontory....
- B. dentata
- Section Oncostylis
Since 1998, American botanist 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 co-authors have been publishing results of ongoing cladistic analyses of DNA sequence
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
data for the subtribe Banksiinae
Grevilleoideae
Grevilleoideae is a subfamily of the Proteaceae family of flowering plants. Mainly restricted to the southern hemisphere, it contains around 44 genera and about 950 species. Genera include Banksia, Grevillea and Macadamia.-Description:...
, which then comprised genera Banksia and Dryandra. Their analyses suggest a phylogeny
Phylogenetics
In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...
that differs greatly from George's taxonomic arrangement. Banksia canei resolves as an early offshoot within the series Salicinae. Early in 2007, Mast and Thiele rearranged the genus Banksia by merging Dryandra into it, and published B. subg. Spathulatae
Banksia subg. Spathulatae
Banksia subg. Spathulatae is a valid botanic name for a subgenus of Banksia. It was published in 2007 by Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele, and defined as containing all those Banksia species having spathulate cotyledons...
for the taxa having spoon-shaped cotyledons; thus B. subg. Banksia was redefined as encompassing taxa lacking spoon-shaped cotyledons. They foreshadowed publishing a full arrangement once DNA sampling of Dryandra was complete; in the meantime, if Mast and Thiele's nomenclatural changes are taken as an interim arrangement, then B. canei is placed in B. subg. Spathulatae.
Distribution and habitat
Several disjunctDisjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
populations of Banksia canei have been recorded across alpine areas of southeastern Australia, generally at altitudes of 500 to 1000 m (1500–4000 ft) in northeastern Victoria and southeastern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. One outlier at a lower altitude has been found on land partly cleared for agriculture at 250 m (800 ft) elevation at Yowrie. The species is listed as "Rare in Victoria" on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria. In a 1978 paper reviewing the species, Alf Salkin coined the term topodeme to indicate a geographically isolated population of plants, derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
words topos "place" and deme "people" or "county (population)". Salkin described four populations (topodemes), each found in granite-based rocky soils in subalpine regions, and isolated from one another by wide river valleys. They would have occupied lower altitudes at cooler geological periods and higher altitudes in warmer times. Each of the main four populations varies from the others in their leaf morphology. Salkin observed that as the habitat and environment was similar across the range, the differences were secondary to genetic drift
Genetic drift
Genetic drift or allelic drift is the change in the frequency of a gene variant in a population due to random sampling.The alleles in the offspring are a sample of those in the parents, and chance has a role in determining whether a given individual survives and reproduces...
, as certain traits have begun to dominate over others by chance as the populations begin to diverge genetically
Genetic divergence
Genetic divergence is the process in which two or more populations of an ancestral species accumulate independent genetic changes through time, often after the populations have become reproductively isolated for some period of time...
.
Most populations are located south or east of the Great Dividing Range, the exception being the Snowy Mountains
Snowy Mountains
The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", are the highest Australian mountain range and contain the Australian mainland's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, which reaches 2,228 metres AHD, approximately 7310 feet....
population. The Kybean Range population is contiguous, while the others are fragmented. From west to east the populations are:
- The Wellington River form, in the Snowy Range from Mount HowittMount HowittMount Howitt is a mountain in Victoria, Australia, named for Alfred William Howitt. Located in the Wonangatta Moroka Unit of the Alpine National Park approximately 170 km Northeast of Melbourne....
southwards to an area between the Maroka and Barkly Rivers. The Wonnangatta Mitchell system separates this form from the Wulgulmerang form to the east. The margins of the adult leaves are prominently dentate (toothed), much more so than other forms which may have occasional 'teeth' here and there. The flower has a distinctive blue-grey limb. - The Snowy Mountains form, found to the north of the Snowy Mountains and west of the Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, Talbingo and CorryongCorryong, VictoriaCorryong is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is located east of Albury-Wodonga, near the upper reaches of the Murray River and thus close to the New South Wales border. At the 2006 Census in Australia, Corryong had a population of 1,228....
in the Bogong MountainsMount BogongMount Bogong , located in the Alpine National Park, is the highest mountain in Victoria, Australia. The Big River separates the massif of the mountain from the Bogong High Plains to the south. "Bogong" in the local Aboriginal language means bigfella...
. This is separated by the Murray RiverMurray RiverThe Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
to the south. This form has the smallest infructescences, measuring 6–8 cm (2.4–3.2 in) high and 3.5–4 cm (1.6–1.8 in) wide. The adult leaves are 10 cm (4 in) long, while the flowers are small, with perianths only 1.6 cm (0.6 in) long. Like those of the Wellington River form, the flower limbs are blue-grey. - The Wulgulmerang form, located to the north and east of OmeoOmeo, VictoriaOmeo is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Great Alpine Road, east of Mount Hotham, in the Shire of East Gippsland. At the 2006 census, Omeo had a population of 452. The name is derived from the Aboriginal word for 'mountains' or 'hills'...
, to Wulgulmerang and the Little RiverLittle River (Gippsland)The Little River is a river of Gippsland in southeastern Victoria, Australia.-References:...
. The flower limb is a more yellow-brown and the infructescences resemble those of B. marginata. It is found among granite rocks in association with the candlebark (Eucalyptus rubidaEucalyptus rubidaThe Candlebark is a medium sized tree of the genus Eucalyptus. It occurs in south eastern Australia and Tasmania, typically in open woodland around the lower slopes of the Great Dividing Range, but also in taller forests...
). - The Kybean Range form, in southeastern New South Wales – located in the Kybean Range and Tuross RiverTuross River-References:...
east of CoomaCooma, New South Wales-Education: is Cooma's only public high school, it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety....
. The Snowy RiverSnowy RiverThe Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the Snowy River National Park in Victoria and emptying into...
separates this form from the Wulgulmerang form to the west. This form has the largest flower spikes and infructescences, measuring up to 14 cm (5.5 in) high and 6 cm (2.4 in) wide. It has very short adult leaves, yet wide juvenile leaves that resemble Banksia integrifolia.
There is one report of naturalisation
Naturalisation (biology)
In biology, naturalisation is any process by which a non-native organism spreads into the wild and its reproduction is sufficient to maintain its population. Such populations are said to be naturalised....
in Western Australia, near Jerramungup
Jerramungup, Western Australia
Jerramungup is a Western Australian town located in the Great Southern agricultural region, southeast of Perth just west of the Gairdner River. The town of Jerramungup was established in 1953 as a war service settlement area...
, on a road verge.
Ecology
Banksia flower spikes are important sources of nectar for mammals, insects and birds, particularly honeyeaters. Animals recorded foraging among the flower spikes of B. canei include the Yellow-tufted HoneyeaterYellow-tufted Honeyeater
The Yellow-tufted Honeyeater is a passerine bird found in the south-east ranges of Australia from south-east Queensland through eastern New South Wales and across Victoria into the tip of Southeastern South Australia...
(Lichenostomus melanops), and bees, wasps and ants.
Banksia canei 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...
and appears to regenerate from bushfire by seed, although its response to fire has been little studied. The follicles remain closed until burnt, although some do open spontaneously after five years or so. The fungus Banksiamyces toomansis
Banksiamyces toomansis
Banksiamyces toomansis is a species of fungus in the Helotiaceae family. It was first described as Tympanis toomansis by Miles Joseph Berkeley and Christopher Edmund Broome in 1886, and transferred to the genus Encoelia in 1957 by R.W.G. Dennis. Gordon William Beaton transferred it to Banksiamyces...
, of the order Helotiales
Helotiales
Helotiales is an order of the class Leotiomycetes within the division Ascomycota. According to a 2008 estimate, the order contains 10 families, 501 genera, and 3881 species.Helotiales is the largest order of inoperculate discomycetes...
, infects older cones and seed, and hence seed older than about five years is often not viable. Plectronidium australiense
Plectronidium australiense
Plectronidium australiense is a species of anamorphic fungus. Known only from Australia, where it grows on the dead branches of Banksia canei, it was described as new to science in 1986. Its conidia have a basal appendage and measure 19–26 by 1.5 μm—shorter and narrower than the similar...
is a species of anamorphic
Fungi imperfecti
The Fungi imperfecti or imperfect fungi, also known as Deuteromycota, are fungi which do not fit into the commonly established taxonomic classifications of fungi that are based on biological species concepts or morphological characteristics of sexual structures because their sexual form of...
fungus that was recovered from a dead branch of B. canei at Healesville Sanctuary
Healesville Sanctuary
Healesville Sanctuary, or the Sir Colin MacKenzie Fauna Park, is a zoo specializing in native Australian animals. It is located at Healesville in rural Victoria, Australia, and has a history of breeding native animals. It is one of only two places to have successfully bred a platypus, the other...
and described in 1986.
Cultivation
Banksia canei is somewhat slow-growing in cultivation, and takes around five to seven years to flower from seed. Its furry-follicled fruiting cones are attractive, although generally obscured by foliage. Although grown successfully in England and tolerant of temperatures to −12 °C (10 °F) , Banksia canei has a reputation of being difficult to keep alive in Australian gardens. Plants often grow well as seedlings in pots, but perish once planted in the ground. It is tolerant to frost, but not to aridity or possibly more humid conditions. The species prefers a sunny aspect and fair drainage. It has been grown in inland New South Wales on the Southern TablelandsSouthern Tablelands
The Southern Tablelands is a geographic area of the State of New South Wales, Australia. This area is located west of the Great Dividing Range.The area is characterised by flat country which has generally been extensively cleared and used for grazing purposes...
and Rylstone
Rylstone, New South Wales
Rylstone is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Central Tablelands region within the Mid-Western Regional Council local government area. It is located on the Bylong Valley Way road route...
. Banksia canei seed requires stratification
Stratification (botany)
In horticulture, stratification is the process of pretreating seeds to simulate natural winter conditions that a seed must endure before germination. Many seed species undergo an embryonic dormancy phase, and generally will not sprout until this dormancy is broken...
—storing at 5 °C (41 °F) for 60 days—before it germinates, which takes a further 6 to 25 days. Salkin proposed this was necessary so that seed released in a summer or autumn bushfire would lie dormant over the winter months before germinating in the spring. Banksia saxicola and some Banksia marginata seeds of subalpine provenance also share this trait.
In 1975, as part of a study on the four populations of B. canei, Salkin carried out germination experiments, producing around a thousand seedlings. In January that year, two seedlings from the Wulgulmerang population displayed deeply lobed (pinnatisect) leaves and a prostrate
Prostrate shrub
A prostrate shrub is a woody plant, most of the branches of which lie upon or just under the ground, rather than being held erect as are the branches of most trees and shrubs....
habit. One died, but in April two seedlings from the Wellington River seed appeared which bore the same appearance. Both these younger seedlings died, but the one older plant survived. It was propagated and registered as a cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
Banksia 'Celia Rosser' on 28 May 1978, named in honour of Celia Rosser
Celia Rosser
Celia Elizabeth Rosser is a renowned Australian botanical illustrator, best known for having published The Banksias, a three-volume series of monographs containing watercolour paintings of every Banksia species....
, an artist who has illustrated many banksias. It produced flower spikes 4 cm (1.6 in) high and 4 cm (1.6 in) wide, which made up for their small size by their abundance. Salkin felt its importance lay not in its horticultural potential but in its appearance in two geographically distant populations. He felt it represented the reappearance of an earlier (possibly ancestral) form, representing "allelomorphs all but lost". However, the cultivar has since vanished.