Banksia purdieana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Banksia purdieana |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Banksia
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| Species: |
purdieana
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| Synonyms | |
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Dryandra purdieana Diels |
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Banksia purdieana is a special kind of bushy plant. It grows only in Western Australia. This means it is endemic to that area. It has unique leaves with sharp, pointy parts on the sides. Its bright yellow flowers grow in groups of about eighty. After the flowers, it forms egg-shaped seed pods called follicles.
What Does It Look Like?
Banksia purdieana is a shrub that can be bushy or shaped like a column. It usually grows between 0.4 m (1 ft 4 in) and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall. It can spread up to 3 m (9.8 ft) wide. This plant does not have a special woody base called a lignotuber.
Its leaves are curved and look like broad lines. They are 50 mm (2.0 in) to 110 mm (4.3 in) long and 25 mm (0.98 in) to 35 mm (1.4 in) wide. Each side of the leaf has four to seven sharp, triangular points.
The flowers are yellow and grow in round clusters. Each cluster has about eighty flowers. At the base of these flower clusters are small, leaf-like parts called bracts. These bracts can be up to 16 mm (0.63 in) long.
Each individual flower has a part called a perianth, which is 22 mm (0.87 in) to 24 mm (0.94 in) long. The pistil, which is the female part of the flower, is 25 mm (0.98 in) to 27 mm (1.1 in) long and is curved.
This banksia blooms from July to September. After flowering, it forms egg-shaped seed pods, or follicles. These pods have a small notch at their base and are 8 mm (0.31 in) to 11 mm (0.43 in) long.
How It Got Its Name
This plant was first officially described in 1904. A scientist named Ludwig Diels gave it the name Dryandra purdieana. He wrote about it in a science journal called Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie.
The second part of its name, purdieana, was chosen to honor Diels's friend, Alexander Purdie.
Later, in 2007, two other scientists, Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele, studied many plants. They decided that all plants in the Dryandra group should actually be part of the Banksia group. So, they changed the name of this plant to Banksia purdieana.
Where Does It Grow?
This banksia plant grows in a type of shrubland called kwongan in Western Australia. You can find it in areas between Tathra National Park, Mogumber, Cadoux, Moorine Rock, and Bendering.
These areas are part of different natural regions. These include the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, and Mallee regions.
Is It Safe?
The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife checks on plants and animals. They have looked at Banksia purdieana. They have decided that it is "not threatened." This means there are enough of these plants, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.
