''Banksia lanata'' is a species of shrub that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to a restricted area of Western Australia. It has linear leaves, pale cream-coloured flowers in a head with whitish

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s at the base and later up to fifty elliptical follicles in each head.

Description

''Banksia lanata'' is a spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of with hairy stems but that does not form a lignotuber. It has crowded, linear leaves that are long, about wide on a petiole long and hairy when young. The flowers are arranged in a head long with woolly-hairy, whitish involucral bracts at the base. The flowers are pale cream-coloured, sometimes pale brown with a purple style and have a hairy

perianth The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepals when ...

long and hooked

pistil Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

long. Flowering occurs from October to December or January and the follicles are elliptical, long, high and wide. Up to fifty follicles form in each head and remain closed until the plant is killed by fire.

Taxonomy and naming

''Banksia lanata'' was first formally described in 1981 by

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 ...

in the journal ''

Nuytsia ''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during the ...

'' from specimens he collected east of Eneabba in 1971. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''lanata'') is a Latin word meaning "woolly", referring to the hairs on the bracts.

Distribution and habitat

This banksia is restricted to an area between

Arrowsmith Lake Arrowsmith Lake is a lake located on Vancouver Island east of Mount Arrowsmith. Access Drive to the northwest bay gate, up the 155 main for bridge over Englishman river; up another ; left to lake and dam (note that there is a gate here and it ma ...

, Coomallo Creek and

Tathra National Park Tathra National Park is a national park in Western Australia, located north of Perth between the towns of Eneabba and Carnamah on Winchester-Eneabba Road. The name is derived from a Noongar word meaning "beautiful place". Description The pa ...

in the Geraldton Sandplains

biogeographic region An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

where it is relatively common.

Conservation status

''Banksia lanata'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Parks and Wildlife The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Banksia lanata lanata Eudicots of Western Australia Plants described in 1981 Taxa named by Alex George