Prickly dryandra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prickly dryandra |
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| Illustration from Edwards's Botanical Register | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Banksia
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| Species: |
falcata
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The Banksia falcata, often called the prickly dryandra, is a spiky, tall bush. It is found only in Western Australia. This plant has leaves with jagged edges. It also has heads of bright yellow flowers.
What is the Prickly Dryandra?
The prickly dryandra is a tall, narrow bush. It usually grows up to 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) high. This plant does not have a special woody base that helps it regrow after a fire.
How Does it Look?
Its leaves are wavy and shaped like a wedge. They have jagged edges or deep cuts. Each leaf is about 35 to 80 millimetres (1.4 to 3.1 inches) long. They are also 15 to 30 millimetres (0.6 to 1.2 inches) wide. The leaf has a stalk about 5 to 12 millimetres (0.2 to 0.5 inches) long. There are seven to thirteen sharp teeth on each side of the leaf.
The flowers grow in a head. Each head has between 110 and 150 bright yellow flowers. At the base of the flower head are small, narrow, leaf-like parts. These are about 15 to 20 millimetres (0.6 to 0.8 inches) long. They are covered with rusty, woolly hairs.
Each flower has yellow parts that are 30 to 39 millimetres (1.2 to 1.5 inches) long. The female part of the flower is also yellow. It is about 32 to 45 millimetres (1.3 to 1.8 inches) long.
The prickly dryandra flowers from September to November or January. After flowering, it forms oval-shaped seed pods. These pods are 6 to 7 millimetres (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. They are covered with soft hairs.
How it Got its Name
This plant was first officially described in 1810. Robert Brown gave it the name Dryandra falcata. He wrote about it in a science journal.
In 2007, two scientists, Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele, moved all the Dryandra plants into the Banksia group. So, this plant became Banksia falcata. The name falcata comes from a Latin word. It means "sickle-shaped" or "shaped like a scythe". This likely refers to the curved shape of its leaves.
Where Does it Grow?
The prickly dryandra grows in a type of shrubland called kwongan. You can find it between the Stirling Range and Esperance. It grows in several natural areas of Western Australia. These include the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, and Mallee regions.
