''The Banksia Atlas'' is an

atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

that documents the

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s and growth forms of various

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

and other subgeneric taxa of ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range i ...

'', an iconic Australian wildflower

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

. First published in 1988, it was the result of a three-year nationwide program involving over 400 amateur and professional volunteers. ''The Banksia Atlas'' project was modelled on the

Atlas of Australian Birds The Atlas of Australian Birds is a major ongoing database project initiated and managed by BirdLife Australia (formerly the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union) to map the distribution of Australia's bird species. BirdLife Australia is a n ...

project, a

citizen science Citizen science (CS) (similar to community science, crowd science, crowd-sourced science, civic science, participatory monitoring, or volunteer monitoring) is scientific research conducted with participation from the public (who are sometimes re ...

project that has mobilised over 7,000 volunteers to collect bird sighting data since 1978. While the Atlas project was underway, Dr

Stephen Hopper Stephen Donald Hopper AC FLS FTSE (born 18 June 1951) is a Western Australian botanist. He graduated in Biology, specialising in conservation biology and vascular plants. Hopper has written eight books, and has over 200 publications to his n ...

became interested in establishing similar projects for mapping the Australian flora. Between 1979 and 1983, Hopper ran two pilot projects, testing the use of volunteers and computer mapping for the recording of sightings of

kangaroo paw Kangaroo paw is the common name for a number of species, in two genera of the family Haemodoraceae, that are native to the south-west of Western Australia. These rhizomatous perennial plants are noted for their unique bird-attracting flowers. T ...

and various

orchids of Western Australia Among the many wildflowers in Western Australia, there are around four hundred species of orchids. Early identifications One of the first botanists to study Western Australia was Archibald Menzies, aboard HMS ''Discovery'', who explored King ...

. In 1983 he was approached by the

Australian Biological Resources Study Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) is a project undertaken by Parks Australia Division of Australia's Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA). Background ABRS was founded in 1973 from the recommendations ...

(ABRS), who wished to pilot a nationwide distribution study of a significant plant genus. The genus ''Banksia'' was chosen as a high-profile, widely distributed genus that was easily identified, but for which distribution and habitat were poorly known. Funded by the ABRS and the

Department of Conservation and Land Management The Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) was a department of the Government of Western Australia that was responsible for implementing the state's conservation and environment legislation and regulations. It was created by the ...

, the project started in February 1984 and went public in July. Data was collected for over two years, during which time over 25,000 records of taxa were received from over 400 volunteers. As a result of ''The Banksia Atlas'' project, two new species, '' B. epica'' and '' B. oligantha'' (Wagin Banksia), were discovered in Western Australia, new varieties of '' B. oblongifolia'' (Fern-leaved Banksia), '' B. occidentalis'' (Red Swamp Banksia), '' B. seminuda'' (River Banksia) and '' B. spinulosa'' (Hairpin Banksia) were recognised, and a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

of '' B. serrata'' (Saw Banksia), ''Banksia'' 'Superman', was registered. A number of hybrids were recorded for the first time, and some rare flower colour variants were noted. Knowledge of distribution was increased for virtually every species, with the range extended to significant new locations for around 40 species. Previously unknown populations were discovered for a number of rare ''Banksia'' species, adding to the knowledge of the conservation status of these species. For example, '' B. chamaephyton'' (Fishbone Banksia) was struck off the list of declared rare plants as a result of knowledge gained during The Banksia Atlas project. Edited by Anne Taylor and Stephen Hopper and published by the

Australian Government Publishing Service The Australian Government Publishing Service (AGPS) was an Australian Government publishing service that operated from 1970 to 1997 and was the sole centralised Australian Government publishing and printing service. It also had retail outlets for ...

, ''The Banksia Atlas'' was first published in 1988 and reprinted with amendments in 1991. It presents distribution information for 75 species, 1 subspecies and 14 varieties of ''Banksia''. For each

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

the Atlas provides an illustration and brief discussion. A distribution map is provided, along with a breakdown of observation data showing population sizes, growth forms, habitat types, response to fire, flowering times, and observed pollinators.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Banksia Atlas, The 1988 non-fiction books Australian non-fiction books Banksia Botany books Botany in Australia Books about Australian natural history