Banksia ionthocarpa facts for kids

Banksia ionthocarpa is a type of shrub that grows only in Western Australia. It has short, hairy stems that grow along the ground. Its leaves are deeply cut, and its flowers are pinkish-purple to orange. These flowers grow in groups of 40 to 60 at the base of the leaves. After flowering, it produces egg-shaped seed pods called follicles, which have a special tuft of hairs on the end.

What Does It Look Like?

Banksia ionthocarpa is a shrub that usually grows up to 60 cm (24 in) tall. Its stems are short, hairy, and often grow mostly underground. The leaves are deeply divided, like a feather. They are 80–250 mm (3.1–9.8 in) long and 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) wide. The leaf stalk, called a petiole, is 40–60 mm (1.6–2.4 in) long. Each side of the leaves has between fifteen and thirty-five triangular sections.

The flowers grow in a round cluster, surrounded by leaves, at the end of the stem. Small leaf-like parts called involucral bracts are found at the base of the flower cluster. These are up to 20 mm (0.79 in) long. Each flower has a pinkish-mauve and yellow perianth (which includes the petals and sepals) that is 39–43 mm (1.5–1.7 in) long. The pistil, which is the female part of the flower, is cream-coloured and strongly curved. It is mostly 43–44 mm (1.7–1.7 in) long.

This plant flowers from September to April. The seed pods, or follicles, are egg-shaped and about 5–5 mm (0.20–0.20 in) long. They have a unique tuft of rust-coloured hairs at their tip.

How Was It Named?

This plant was first found in 1987 by Peter Luscombe, who supplied seeds. The next year, plant samples were collected by Margaret Pieroni and Alex George. For eight years, it was known by a temporary name, Dryandra sp. Kamballup.

In 1996, Alex George officially named the species Dryandra ionthocarpa. The name ionthocarpa comes from two Greek words: ionthas, meaning "shaggy," and carpos, meaning "fruit." This name refers to the shaggy tuft of hairs on each seed pod. George thought the fruit was so special that he placed this plant in its own new group, called Dryandra ser. Ionthocarpae.

Later, scientists studied the DNA of plants. In 2007, Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele changed the way many plants were classified. They moved all the Dryandra species, including Dryandra ionthocarpa, into the Banksia group. So, Dryandra ionthocarpa became Banksia ionthocarpa. This change meant that George's earlier grouping of Dryandra species was no longer used.

In 2005, Alex George also described two different types, or subspecies, of this plant in a journal called Nuytsia. In 2007, when the plant was moved to the Banksia group, these two subspecies were also moved. The Australian Plant Census now accepts these changes:

• B. ionthocarpa subsp. chrysophoenix has a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. Its leaf lobes are almost straight, and its flower parts are larger.
• B. ionthocarpa subsp. ionthocarpa does not have a lignotuber. Its leaf lobes are gently curved, and its flower parts are smaller than those of subsp. chrysophoenix.

Where Does It Grow?

The subspecies chrysophoenix grows in a type of shrubland called kwongan. It is only found near Kamballup, which is north-east of the Porongurup National Park.

The subspecies ionthocarpa also usually grows in kwongan. It is known from three different groups of plants near Brookton.

Conservation Status

Both subspecies of B. ionthocarpa are considered "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)". This means they are rare and protected by the Department of Environment and Conservation (Western Australia).