Banksia kippistiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Banksia kippistiana |
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Banksia
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kippistiana
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Banksia kippistiana is a special type of shrub that only grows in Western Australia. It has long, narrow leaves with many small points along the edges. This plant produces beautiful yellow and cream-colored flowers that grow in groups. After the flowers bloom, it forms oval-shaped seed pods.
What it Looks Like
Banksia kippistiana is a shrub that usually grows up to about 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) tall. Its young stems are covered in soft, woolly hairs.
The leaves are long and thin, measuring about 4 to 8 centimeters (1.5 to 3 inches) in length and 4 to 6 millimeters (about 0.2 inches) wide. Each leaf has between ten and twenty small, triangular points on both sides.
The flowers grow in round clusters at the ends of the branches. Each cluster can have between fifty and eighty flowers. These flowers are often fragrant and have a pale yellow outer part and a cream-colored inner part. They usually bloom from August to November. After flowering, the plant forms oval seed pods that are about 4 to 5 millimeters long and 7 to 8 millimeters wide.
How it Got its Name
This plant was first officially described in 1856 by a scientist named Carl Meissner. He named it Dryandra kippistiana. He published his description in a famous book about plants. The name kippistiana was chosen to honor Richard Kippist, who was a librarian at the Linnean Society of London.
Later, in 2007, two other scientists, Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele, moved all the plants from the Dryandra group into the Banksia group. So, the plant's name was changed to Banksia kippistiana, which is what we call it today.
Where it Lives
Banksia kippistiana grows in a type of shrubland called kwongan. This is a special kind of plant community found in Western Australia. You can find this plant growing between the towns of Eneabba, Mount Lesueur, and New Norcia. It also grows in a few scattered spots south-east of Perth.
Is it Protected?
The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife says that Banksia kippistiana is "not threatened." This means it's not currently in danger of disappearing.
