Yellow lantern banksia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow lantern banksia |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Banksia
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| Species: |
lemanniana
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| Synonyms | |
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Sirmuellera lemanniana (Meisn.) Kuntze (1891) |
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The Banksia lemanniana, also called the yellow lantern banksia or Lemann's banksia, is a special type of flowering plant. It belongs to the plant family called Proteaceae. This plant grows naturally in Western Australia.
It usually grows as a woody shrub or a small tree. It can reach up to 5 metres (15 feet) tall. It has stiff leaves with jagged edges and unique flower spikes that hang downwards. These flowers bloom during summer. They start as greenish buds, then turn into oval-shaped flower spikes. Later, they become grey and grow large, woody seed pods called follicles.
You can find the yellow lantern banksia inside and just east of the Fitzgerald River National Park. This park is on the southern coast of Western Australia. When there's a bushfire, Banksia lemanniana plants die. However, new plants grow from their seeds.
A Swiss botanist named Carl Meissner first described this plant in 1856. He named it after an English botanist, Charles Morgan Lemann. This banksia is one of a few related species that have hanging flower spikes. This is quite unusual for banksia plants. There are no different types (subspecies) of Banksia lemanniana. The plant is considered "Not Threatened" by the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 in Western Australia. Unlike many other banksias from Western Australia, it can resist a plant disease called dieback. This makes it easier to grow in gardens.
Contents
What the Yellow Lantern Banksia Looks Like
The Banksia lemanniana is an open shrub or sometimes a small tree. It can grow up to 5 metres (15 feet) tall and spreads out wide. Its trunk has thin, grey bark and can be about 15 centimetres (6 inches) across.
Some shorter plants, about 1.6 metres (5.2 feet) tall, have been seen in coastal areas of Fitzgerald River National Park. New parts of the plant are slightly hairy, mostly in summer. Over two years, they lose their hair and become smooth. The leaves are stiff and shaped like a narrow wedge or an oval. They are 3 to 9 centimetres (1.2–3.6 inches) long and 1.2 to 3.5 centimetres (0.5–1.5 inches) wide. The edges of the leaves have many small teeth, each 0.1 to 0.3 centimetres long.
Flowers and Seeds
The yellow lantern banksia usually flowers between October and January. Unlike most other banksias, its flower spikes hang down from the branches. These spikes are 5–11 centimetres (2–4.4 inches) long and 8–10 centimetres (3–4 inches) wide. They are green-yellow and smell like honey. They also drip a lot of sweet nectar.
The flower buds are a rich chocolate brown color. Then, the yellow flowers push through. As the flower spikes get older, they turn grey. Up to 20 large, woody seed pods (follicles) grow from the old flowers. These pods are oval-shaped, wrinkled, and covered with fine hair. They can be up to 4.5 centimetres (1.8 inches) long, 3 centimetres (1.2 inches) high, and 3 centimetres (1.2 inches) wide.
The seeds are about 4–4.7 centimetres (1.6–1.9 inches) long and quite flat. Each seed has a wedge-shaped body, which is 1.2–1.5 centimetres (0.5–0.6 inches) long and 1–1.3 centimetres (0.4–0.5 inches) wide. It also has a thin, papery wing. One side of the seed is dark brown and wrinkled, while the other is black and smooth. Both sides sparkle a little. A strong, dark brown separator sits between the seeds in the pod.
When a seedling first grows, it has wedge-shaped leaves called cotyledons. These are 1.2–1.5 centimetres (0.5–0.6 inches) long and 1.5–1.8 centimetres (0.6–0.7 inches) wide. They are dull green, sometimes with a reddish tint. Their edges might have tiny teeth. The stem below the first leaves is red and measures 1–2 centimetres (0.4–0.8 inches) tall.
How the Yellow Lantern Banksia Was Named
The first time a botanist collected Banksia lemanniana was in early 1847. This was done by James Drummond during a trip to explore plants. He was with George Maxwell near the Stirling Ranges and Cape Riche. Drummond later wrote about finding a "remarkable nodding yellow-flowered Banksia" on Mount Barren. This was the plant we now know as Banksia lemanniana.
The name Banksia lemanniana first appeared in a list in 1852. It was written by Carl Meissner, a Swiss botanist. Four years later, Meissner officially described the species. He named it to honor Charles Morgan Lemann, an English botanist. Sometimes, people have misspelled the name as "lehmanniana" by mistake. Common names for the plant are yellow lantern banksia and Lemann's banksia.
Scientists group plants to understand them better. In 1981, Alex George placed Banksia lemanniana in a group called Banksia subgenus Banksia. This was because its flower spike is typical for a banksia. He also put it in a series called Banksia series Tetragonae. Plants in this group have hanging flower spikes and square-shaped parts. He thought it was closely related to Banksia aculeata and Banksia caleyi. These are smaller shrubs with red or pink flowers.
Later, in 1996, other scientists used a method called cladistics to study banksias. They found that the group Banksia series Tetragonae was a natural group. Their study supported the idea that Banksia lemanniana is closely related to Banksia aculeata and Banksia caleyi.
Here's a simplified way to see where Banksia lemanniana fits in the plant family:
* B. subg. Isostylis (3 species) * B. elegans * B. subg. Banksia * B. ser. Tetragonae * B. elderiana * B. lemanniana * B. caleyi * B. aculeata
Scientists continue to study banksias using DNA to understand their relationships even better. These studies also show that the three species in the Tetragonae group are closely related.
Where the Yellow Lantern Banksia Lives
The Banksia lemanniana grows near the southern coast of Western Australia. Most of these plants are protected inside the Fitzgerald River National Park. Outside the park, you can find it reaching the Ravensthorpe Range to the northeast. It also grows near the rabbit-proof fence to the east. Some isolated groups are found further west, near the Pallinup estuary.
This area gets about 500–600 millimetres (20–24 inches) of rain each year. The plant grows on hilltops and slopes, and also in flatter areas. It prefers rocky or lateritic soil, but can also grow in sand. It is found in mallee scrubland or heath areas.
Since much of its home is in a National Park, Banksia lemanniana is quite safe. People do not collect it for the cut flower business. Because of this, it is listed as "Not Threatened" under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 of Western Australia.
Life Cycle and Survival
Many different animals visit the flower spikes of Banksia lemanniana. These include New Holland honeyeater birds and red wattlebirds. Native bees, European honey bees, wasps, and ants also visit. The flower spikes drip nectar onto the ground or lower leaves. This suggests that non-flying mammals might help pollinate the plant. The upside-down flowers might make it easier for these animals to reach the nectar.
When a bushfire happens, Banksia lemanniana plants are killed. However, new plants grow from their seeds. It's not clear how long it takes for new plants to flower in the wild. But in gardens, it seems to take about five or six years. If fires happen too often, young plants might burn before they can grow up. They might not produce enough seeds to regrow the population. This could make the number of plants go down or even disappear from an area. If there's too much time between fires, older plants might die naturally. Their seeds might not be released, which also causes the plant population to decrease.
Banksia lemanniana is somewhat resistant to a disease called dieback. This disease is caused by a type of water mould called Phytophthora cinnamomi. Many other banksias from Western Australia are very sensitive to this disease. A study showed that Banksia lemanniana had low sensitivity to dieback. However, very young seedlings (2-3 weeks old) seemed more vulnerable than older ones (10 months old).
Growing the Yellow Lantern Banksia
The yellow lantern banksia is one of the easier Western Australian banksias to grow in gardens. It has pretty chocolate-colored buds, green-yellow hanging flower spikes, and large grey seed pods. These features make it attractive for gardening. It usually grows quite fast. However, it still takes about five to six years for a plant grown from seed to produce flowers.
This plant prefers rocky or sandy soil that is a bit alkaline. It likes a pH range from 6 to 7.5. It needs a sunny spot and soil that drains water well. It has been grown successfully in more humid places on Australia's east coast. The seeds do not need any special treatment to grow. They usually take 27 to 43 days to sprout.
See also
In Spanish: Banksia lemanniana para niños
