Banksia platycarpa facts for kids

Banksia platycarpa is a type of small shrub. It grows only in the south-west part of Western Australia. This plant has long, narrow leaves with many sharp points. Its flowers are creamy-yellow to orange and grow in groups. After flowering, it produces egg-shaped fruits called follicles.

What Does Banksia platycarpa Look Like?

This Banksia is a shrub with branches that grow straight up. It usually reaches about 80 centimeters (31 inches) tall. Its stems are a bit hairy. Unlike some other plants, it does not have a special woody base called a lignotuber.

The leaves are long and narrow, like a feather. They can be 40 to 120 millimeters (1.6 to 4.7 inches) long. Each leaf has 10 to 25 sharp, pointed parts on each side. These points can be up to 8 millimeters (0.3 inches) long.

Flowers and Fruits

The flowers are creamy-yellow to orange. They grow in groups of 60 to 75 flowers. At the bottom of each flower group, there are many small, thin leaves called bracts. These bracts are about 12 millimeters (0.5 inches) long.

Each flower has a part called a perianth, which is 13 to 16 millimeters (0.5 to 0.6 inches) long. The pistil, which is the female part of the flower, is 16 to 19 millimeters (0.6 to 0.7 inches) long and bends downwards.

Banksia platycarpa flowers from May to August. After the flowers, the plant produces egg-shaped fruits. These fruits are called follicles. They are about 9 millimeters (0.4 inches) long and 11 to 13 millimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) wide.

How Was Banksia platycarpa Named?

This plant was first officially described in 1996. A scientist named Alex George gave it the name Dryandra platycarpa. He wrote about it in a science magazine called Nuytsia. He had collected samples of the plant in 1986.

The second part of its name, platycarpa, comes from two Greek words. "Platy" means "wide" and "carpa" means "fruit". This name describes the wide, egg-shaped fruits of the plant.

Later, in 2007, two other scientists, Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele, moved all the Dryandra plants into the Banksia group. So, this plant became known as Banksia platycarpa.

Where Does Banksia platycarpa Grow?

Banksia platycarpa grows in a type of shrubland called kwongan. You can find it in Western Australia, between the towns of Eneabba and Mogumber.

Is Banksia platycarpa Endangered?

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife says that this Banksia species is "not threatened". This means it is not currently at risk of disappearing.