Banksia brunnea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Banksia brunnea |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Banksia
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| Species: |
brunnea
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The Banksia brunnea is a type of low, bushy plant. It is found only in the southwest part of Western Australia. This plant has dark green leaves that are deeply cut. It also has flower heads with up to seventy pink and brownish flowers. Its seed pods are smooth.
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What Does Banksia brunnea Look Like?
The Banksia brunnea is a bushy plant with many branches. It usually grows to about 0.7 meters (about 2.3 feet) tall. It does not have a special woody base called a lignotuber. This means it might not regrow easily after a fire.
Its leaves are dark green and can be 150 to 350 millimeters (about 6 to 14 inches) long. They are 10 to 16 millimeters (about 0.4 to 0.6 inches) wide. The leaves are attached to a stem that is 15 to 30 millimeters (about 0.6 to 1.2 inches) long. Each leaf is deeply cut into 40 to 75 small, V-shaped sections on each side.
The flowers grow in heads, with 55 to 70 flowers in each head. Each flower has pink outer parts that are 28 to 39 millimeters (about 1.1 to 1.5 inches) long. The female part of the flower, called the pistil, is deep red and 41 to 54 millimeters (about 1.6 to 2.1 inches) long. This plant flowers in August. After flowering, it produces smooth, egg-shaped seed pods. These pods are about 12 to 14 millimeters (about 0.5 to 0.6 inches) long.
How Banksia brunnea Got Its Name
This banksia plant was first officially named in 1845 by Carl Meissner. He called it Dryandra brownii. This name was published in a book called Plantae Preissianae.
Later, in 2007, two scientists named Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele made a change. They moved all the plants from the Dryandra group into the Banksia group. However, there was already a plant named Banksia brownii. So, Mast and Thiele chose a new name for this plant: Banksia brunnea. The word "brunnea" comes from a Latin word that means "brown."
Where Banksia brunnea Lives
Banksia brunnea grows in a type of shrubland called kwongan. You can find it between the towns of Albany, the Stirling Range, and the Fitzgerald River National Park in Western Australia.
Is Banksia brunnea in Danger?
The government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife says this plant is "not threatened." This means it is not currently at risk of disappearing.
How Climate Change Might Affect Banksia brunnea
Scientists have studied how climate change might impact this plant. They found that the area where Banksia brunnea grows could shrink. By the year 2080, its habitat might become 30% to 80% smaller. This depends on how much the climate changes.
