''Banksia ashbyi'' subsp. ''ashbyi'' is a recently recognised subspecies of ''

Banksia ashbyi ''Banksia ashbyi'', commonly known as Ashby's banksia, is a species of shrub or small tree that is Endemism, endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth, grey bark, deeply serrated, hairy leaves and spikes of bright orange flowers. Descriptio ...

''. It is the non-

lignotuberous A lignotuber is a woody swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem, such as by fire. Other woody plants may develop basal burls as a similar survival strategy, often as a response t ...

arborescent form of the species, which occurs between Geraldton and

Shark Bay Shark Bay (Malgana: ''Gathaagudu'', "two waters") is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/shark-bay area is located approximately north of Perth, on the ...

, and in the Kennedy Ranges.

Description

This subspecies is essentially the fire-sensitive tree form of ''B. ashbyi''. It grows as a tree or shrub up to seven metres in height, and lacks a lignotuber. This is in contrast to the other subspecies, ''B. ashbyi'' subsp. ''boreoscaia'', which is a lignotuberous shrub that reaches no higher than two metres. In addition, ''B. ashbyi'' subsp. ''ashbyi'' usually has deep green leaves, whereas those of ''B. ashbyi'' subsp. ''boreoscaia'' are consistently grey-green in colour.

Distribution and habitat

''Banksia ashbyi'' subsp. ''ashbyi'' occurs in two disjunct populations: between Geraldton and

, and around 400 kilometres further north in the Kennedy Range.

Taxonomy

Although distinct lignotuberous and non-lignotuberous forms of ''B. ashbyi'' had long been recognised, they were not formally described as taxa until 2008, when

Alex George Alexander or Alex George may refer to: *Alex George (botanist) (born 1939), Australian botanist * Alexander L. George (1920–2006), American political scientist * Alexander George (philosopher), American philosopher *Alex George (motorcyclist), Sc ...

published the lignotuberous form as ''B. ashbyi'' subsp. ''boreoscaia'', thus invoking the autonym ''B. ashbyi'' subsp. ''ashbyi'' for the non-lignotuberous form.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q4856553 ashbyi subsp. ashbyi Eudicots of Western Australia Plant subspecies Endemic flora of Western Australia