Banksia coccinea
Encyclopedia
Banksia coccinea, commonly known as the Scarlet Banksia, Waratah Banksia or Albany Banksia, is an erect shrub or small tree in the plant
genus
Banksia
. Endemic
to south west
Western Australia
, it occurs from Albany
(35°S) east to the Young River
(33°47'S 121°10'), and north to the Stirling Range
(34°24'S).
or small tree
up to 8 metres (26 ft) tall. Its leaves are flat, from 3 centimetres (1 in) to 9 centimetres (4 in) long, with large sharp teeth.
Although all Banksia species have flowers arranged spirally around the flower spike axis, in some species there is a vertical alignment superimposed on it. In Banksia coccinea, this vertical alignment is strongly accentuated by large gaps between the columns. Furthermore, neighbouring columns of flowers lean in opposite directions, resulting in bright red vertical columns consisting of many crossing flower styles, alternating with large vertical gaps through which the light grey perianths can be seen. The end result is a flower spike with elegant vertical red and white stripes.
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The first known specimens of B. coccinea were collected in December 1801, during the visit to King George Sound
of HMS Investigator under the command of Matthew Flinders
. On board were botanist Robert Brown
, botanical artist Ferdinand Bauer
, and gardener Peter Good
. All three men gathered plant specimens, but those collected by Bauer and Good were incorporated into Brown's herbarium without attribution, so it is not possible to identify the actual collector of this species. The surviving specimen of B. coccinea, held by the Natural History Museum
in London, is annotated in Brown's hand "King George IIIds Sound Princess Royal Harbour especially near the observatory". The observatory was apparently located in what is now the present-day central business district
of Albany
. No further information on the collection is available, as the species is mentioned in neither Brown's nor Good's diary.
Good also made a separate seed collection, which included B. coccinea, and the species was drawn by Bauer. Like nearly all of Bauer's field drawings of Proteaceae, the original field sketch of B. coccinea was destroyed in a Hofburg fire
in 1945. However a watercolour painting by Bauer, based on his field sketches, still survives at the Natural History Museum
in London
, and a hand-coloured copper engraving from that painting was published as Plate 3 of Bauer's 1813 Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae
.
The Scarlet Banksia was first published by Robert Brown
in his 1810 On the Proteaceae of Jussieu. Because of the unusual appearance of its flowers, it is placed in its own section, Banksia sect. Coccinea, of subgenus Banksia subg. Banksia
. No subspecies are recognised.
in the west, east to Young River
and inland to the Stirling Range
.It prefers deep white or grey sand, amongst tall shrubland, heath, mallee-heath and low woodland. Most of its range has a float or gently undulating topography, but it also occurs on a steep rocky slope at Ellen Peak in the Stirling Ranges.
found the honey possum
(Tarsipes rostratus) sometimes visit Banksia coccinea, as do the New Holland Honeyeater
(Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) and White-cheeked Honeyeater
(P. nigra). Banksia coccinea flowers are visited by colletid
bees Hylaeus alcyoneus and H. sanguinipictus.
Banksia coccinea has shown some symptoms of toxicity to application of phosphite (used to combat dieback), with some patchy necrosis of leaves, but the uptake of the compound is somewhat lower compared with other shrubs. Unusually, the symptoms did not appear to be proportional to exposure levels.
Propagation is by seed. Seeds do not require any treatment prior to sowing, and take 12 to 48 days to germinate.
Grafting has been attempted without success.
In a breeding program conducted by Dr Margaret Sedgley of the Department of Horticulture, Viticulture and Oenology, Waite Agricultural Research Institute of the University of Adelaide
in Adelaide
, South Australia
, several forms of Banksia coccinea were bred, registererd and commercially propagated, mainly for the cut flower industry. Banksia 'Waite Flame'
is an early flowering somewhat orange-hued form, and B. 'Waite Crimson'
is a late-flowering form.
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...
. Endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to south west
Southwest Australia
Southwest Australia is a biodiversity hotspot that includes the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregions of Western Australia. The region has a wet-winter, dry-summer Mediterranean climate, one of five such regions in the world...
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...
, it occurs from Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
(35°S) east to the Young River
Young River (Western Australia)
The Young River is a river in Western Australia that rises south of the Frank Hann National Park then flows in a south easterly direction for a distance of before flowing into Stokes Inlet which discharges into the Southern Ocean....
(33°47'S 121°10'), and north to the Stirling Range
Stirling Range
The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff is a range of mountains and hills in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 337 km south-east of Perth. It is located at approximately and is over 60 km wide from west to east, stretching from the highway between Mount Barker and Cranbrook...
(34°24'S).
Description
The Scarlet Banksia grows as an erect shrubShrub
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...
or small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
up to 8 metres (26 ft) tall. Its leaves are flat, from 3 centimetres (1 in) to 9 centimetres (4 in) long, with large sharp teeth.
Although all Banksia species have flowers arranged spirally around the flower spike axis, in some species there is a vertical alignment superimposed on it. In Banksia coccinea, this vertical alignment is strongly accentuated by large gaps between the columns. Furthermore, neighbouring columns of flowers lean in opposite directions, resulting in bright red vertical columns consisting of many crossing flower styles, alternating with large vertical gaps through which the light grey perianths can be seen. The end result is a flower spike with elegant vertical red and white stripes.
Discovery and naming
King George Sound
King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....
of HMS Investigator under the command of Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
. On board were botanist Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
, botanical artist Ferdinand Bauer
Ferdinand Bauer
Ferdinand Lucas Bauer was an Austrian botanical illustrator who travelled on Matthew Flinders' expedition to Australia.-Biography:...
, and gardener Peter Good
Peter Good
Peter Good was the gardener assistant to botanist Robert Brown on the voyage of HMS Investigator under Matthew Flinders, during which the coast of Australia was charted, and various plants collected.-Biography:...
. All three men gathered plant specimens, but those collected by Bauer and Good were incorporated into Brown's herbarium without attribution, so it is not possible to identify the actual collector of this species. The surviving specimen of B. coccinea, held by the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in London, is annotated in Brown's hand "King George IIIds Sound Princess Royal Harbour especially near the observatory". The observatory was apparently located in what is now the present-day central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
. No further information on the collection is available, as the species is mentioned in neither Brown's nor Good's diary.
Good also made a separate seed collection, which included B. coccinea, and the species was drawn by Bauer. Like nearly all of Bauer's field drawings of Proteaceae, the original field sketch of B. coccinea was destroyed in a Hofburg fire
Hofburg fire
The term "Hofburg fire"refers to any of several major fires that burned in the Hofburg of Vienna, Austria. The Hofburg area has been the documented seat of government since 1279....
in 1945. However a watercolour painting by Bauer, based on his field sketches, still survives at the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and a hand-coloured copper engraving from that painting was published as Plate 3 of Bauer's 1813 Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae
Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae
Illustrationes florae Novae Hollandiae is an 1813 publication by the botanical illustrator Ferdinand Bauer.Bauer was scientific illustrator on board the Investigator during Matthew Flinders' exploration of Australia, and as such he worked closely with the expedition's naturalist, Robert Brown...
.
The Scarlet Banksia was first published by Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
in his 1810 On the Proteaceae of Jussieu. Because of the unusual appearance of its flowers, it is placed in its own section, Banksia sect. Coccinea, of subgenus Banksia subg. 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...
. No subspecies are recognised.
Distribution and habitat
B. coccinea occurs close to the south coast of Western Australia, from AlbanyAlbany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
in the west, east to Young River
Young River (Western Australia)
The Young River is a river in Western Australia that rises south of the Frank Hann National Park then flows in a south easterly direction for a distance of before flowing into Stokes Inlet which discharges into the Southern Ocean....
and inland to the Stirling Range
Stirling Range
The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff is a range of mountains and hills in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 337 km south-east of Perth. It is located at approximately and is over 60 km wide from west to east, stretching from the highway between Mount Barker and Cranbrook...
.It prefers deep white or grey sand, amongst tall shrubland, heath, mallee-heath and low woodland. Most of its range has a float or gently undulating topography, but it also occurs on a steep rocky slope at Ellen Peak in the Stirling Ranges.
Ecology
A field study conducted around AlbanyAlbany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
found the honey possum
Honey Possum
The honey possum or tait, its Native Australian name or noolbenger is a tiny Australian marsupial weighing just seven to eleven grams for the male, and eight to sixteen grams for the female—about half the weight of a mouse. Their physical size ranges from a body length of between 6.5 –...
(Tarsipes rostratus) sometimes visit Banksia coccinea, as do the New Holland Honeyeater
New Holland Honeyeater
The New Holland Honeyeater is a honeyeater species found throughout southern Australia. It was among the first birds to be scientifically described in Australia, and was initially named Certhia novaehollandiae...
(Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) and White-cheeked Honeyeater
White-cheeked Honeyeater
The White-cheeked Honeyeater inhabits the east coast and the south-west corner of Australia. It has a large white patch on its cheek, a brown eye, and a yellow panel on its wing.- Description :...
(P. nigra). Banksia coccinea flowers are visited by colletid
Colletidae
Colletidae is a family of bees, and are often referred to collectively as plasterer bees or polyester bees, due to the method of smoothing the walls of their nest cells with secretions applied with their mouthparts; these secretions dry into a cellophane-like lining...
bees Hylaeus alcyoneus and H. sanguinipictus.
Banksia coccinea has shown some symptoms of toxicity to application of phosphite (used to combat dieback), with some patchy necrosis of leaves, but the uptake of the compound is somewhat lower compared with other shrubs. Unusually, the symptoms did not appear to be proportional to exposure levels.
Cultivation
Widely considered one of the most attractive Banksia species, B. coccinea is a popular garden plant and one of the most important Banksia species for the cut flower industry. However, it is highly sensitive to dieback and succumbs readily when exposed. It is difficult to keep alive in areas of heavy soils or summer rainfall or humidity, such as the Australian east coast.Propagation is by seed. Seeds do not require any treatment prior to sowing, and take 12 to 48 days to germinate.
Grafting has been attempted without success.
In a breeding program conducted by Dr Margaret Sedgley of the Department of Horticulture, Viticulture and Oenology, Waite Agricultural Research Institute of the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, several forms of Banksia coccinea were bred, registererd and commercially propagated, mainly for the cut flower industry. Banksia 'Waite Flame'
Banksia 'Waite Flame'
Banksia 'Waite Flame' is a variety of Banksia. A selected form of B. coccinea , it flowers early in the season and has a more orange-hued bloom than its parent species....
is an early flowering somewhat orange-hued form, and B. 'Waite Crimson'
Banksia 'Waite Crimson'
Banksia 'Waite Crimson' is a variety of Banksia. A selected form of B. coccinea , it flowers late in the season....
is a late-flowering form.