Banksia sessilis var. flabellifolia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Banksia sessilis var. flabellifolia |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Banksia |
| Species: | |
| Varietas: |
B. s. var. flabellifolia
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| Trinomial name | |
| Banksia sessilis var. flabellifolia (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele
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| Synonyms | |
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Dryandra sessilis var. flabellifolia A.S.George |
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Banksia sessilis var. flabellifolia is a special kind of plant. It is a variety of the Banksia sessilis, which is also known as the parrot bush.
What it Looks Like
This plant grows as a shrub and can get quite tall, up to five metres (about 16 feet) high. Unlike some other types of B. sessilis, its stems are smooth and do not have hairs.
Its leaves are shaped like a fan. They have a long, smooth edge at the bottom and a toothed, or jagged, end. These leaves are similar to those of B. sessilis var. cygnorum, but they are bigger. They can be up to four centimetres (about 1.5 inches) long and 3.5 centimetres (about 1.4 inches) wide. They also don't have rounded parts, called lobes, at their base.
Just like other varieties of B. sessilis, the flowers of this plant are a greenish-yellow color. Each group of flowers, called a head, has about 90 individual flowers in it.
How it Got its Name
This variety of plant was first described by a scientist named Alex George in 1996. He found a sample of it on August 11, 1993, near Northampton in Western Australia.
The name flabellifolia comes from two Latin words: flabellum, which means "fan," and folium, which means "leaf." This name was chosen because of the plant's unique fan-shaped leaves.
At first, this plant was called Dryandra sessilis var. flabellifolia. But in 2007, two other scientists, Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele, moved all the Dryandra plants into the Banksia group. So, the plant's full name became Banksia sessilis var. flabellifolia (A.S.George) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele.
In 1999, Alex George also showed how this variety is related to other types of B. sessilis, placing it between B. sessilis var. sessilis and B. sessilis var. cordata.
Where it Grows
B. sessilis var. flabellifolia is found in the South West Botanical Province of Western Australia. It grows in different types of soil, including deep sand and a reddish soil called laterite.
You can find this plant in an area stretching from Geraldton to Kalbarri. It also grows further inland towards Northampton and as far south as Moora.
Growing This Plant
This variety of Banksia is not very well known or commonly grown in gardens. People think that it would need similar care to the more common B. sessilis var. sessilis. However, this specific variety might do better in places that are hotter and drier, especially along coastal areas.
