Banksia ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Banksia ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Banksia |
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B. a. subsp. boreoscaia
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| Trinomial name | |
| Banksia ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia A.S.George
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The Banksia ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia is a special type of plant. It is a kind of Banksia that grows like a bush. This plant can survive fires well. You can find it along the northwest coast of Western Australia. It grows between the towns of Carnarvon and North West Cape.
What is Banksia ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia?
This plant is a type of Banksia ashbyi that grows as a sprawling bush. It can reach about 2 metres (6.5 feet) tall. It has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This lignotuber helps the plant regrow after a fire.
Another type of Banksia ashbyi (called B. ashbyi subsp. ashbyi) is different. That one grows like a tree, up to 7 metres (23 feet) tall. It does not have a lignotuber. Also, the leaves of B. ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia are always grey-green. The leaves of the tree-like type are usually deep green.
How was it named?
The main plant, Banksia ashbyi, was first officially described in 1934. It was named by Edmund Gilbert Baker. The name ashbyi honors Edwin Ashby, who helped collect the first plant samples.
The subspecies boreoscaia was officially described much later, in 2008. This was done by a scientist named Alex George. For a long time, people knew there were two different forms of Banksia ashbyi. One had a lignotuber (like this one), and one did not.
Alex George decided to give the lignotuber form its own name: B. ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia. He chose a plant collected in 1975 as the "type specimen." A type specimen is like the official example of a plant.
The name boreoscaia comes from two Greek words. Borealis means "northern" and skaios means "west." This name tells us that this is the only Banksia plant found in the far northwest of Western Australia.
Where does it grow?
Banksia ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia grows on sand dunes along the coast. It lives among low bushes. You can find it from a place called Quobba, just north of Carnarvon, all the way north to North West Cape.
