Banksia glaucifolia facts for kids

Banksia glaucifolia is a special kind of shrub. It only grows in Western Australia. This plant has unique leaves that look like wedges. They have jagged edges with sharp points. Its flowers are a pretty pale yellow. After flowering, it grows seed pods called follicles. These follicles have fuzzy edges.

What it Looks Like

Banksia glaucifolia is a shrub. It usually grows to about 1.5 metres (5 feet) tall. Its stems are a bit hairy. This plant does not have a lignotuber. A lignotuber is a woody lump at the base of some plants. It helps them regrow after a fire.

The leaves of this banksia are shaped like wedges. They are deeply jagged along the edges. Each leaf is about 45 to 75 millimetres (1.8 to 3 inches) long. They are also 20 to 35 millimetres (0.8 to 1.4 inches) wide. The leaves sit on a flat, hairy stalk called a petiole. This stalk is about 5 to 10 millimetres long. The leaves often have a blue-grey, powdery look. This is called being glaucous. Each side of the leaf has six to thirteen sharp, triangular points.

The flowers grow in a cluster called a head. Each head holds between 80 and 110 flowers. At the bottom of the flower head are special leaves called involucral bracts. These are about 12 to 18 millimetres long. The flowers themselves are pale yellow. The outer part of the flower, called the perianth, is about 28 to 34 millimetres long. Inside, the cream-coloured part that holds the seeds, called the pistil, is about 30 to 35 millimetres long.

Banksia glaucifolia flowers from July to October. After the flowers fade, egg-shaped seed pods grow. These pods are called follicles. They are about 7 millimetres long. The edges of these follicles are hairy.

Its Name and History

This banksia was first officially described in 1996. A scientist named Alex George gave it the name Dryandra glauca. He wrote about it in a science magazine called Nuytsia. The plants he studied were found in Watheroo National Park in 1986.

Later, in 2007, two other scientists, Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele, made a change. They moved all the Dryandra species into the Banksia group. But there was a problem! The name Banksia glauca was already used for another plant. It was a synonym (another name) for Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia.

So, Mast and Thiele had to pick a new name for this plant. They changed the last part of its name, called the epithet, to glaucifolia. This new name still uses "glauca," which comes from a Latin word meaning "blue-grey." This refers to the blue-grey colour of the leaves. The "folium" part is also Latin, meaning "leaf." So, glaucifolia means "blue-grey leaf."

Where it Grows

Banksia glaucifolia grows in a special type of plant community. This community is called kwongan. It grows on small hills. You can find it near places like Eneabba and Tathra National Park. It also grows down to Badgingarra. These areas are part of the Geraldton Sandplains and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions.

Is it Endangered?

The Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife checks on plants. They have looked at Banksia glaucifolia. They say it is "not threatened." This means it is not in danger of disappearing.