''Banksia integrifolia'' subsp. ''compar'' is a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of ''

Banksia integrifolia ''Banksia integrifolia'', commonly known as the coast banksia, is a species of tree that grows along the east coast of Australia. One of the most widely distributed ''Banksia'' species, it occurs between Victoria and Central Queensland in a b ...

''. It has larger, glossier leaves than other subspecies, and occurs much further north.

Description

''B. integrifolia'' subsp. ''compar'' is similar to ''B. integrifolia'' subsp. ''integrifolia'', but has larger, glossier leaves with undulate margins.

Taxonomy

The type specimen for ''Banksia integrifolia'' subsp. ''compar'' was collected just south of

Keppel Bay Keppel Bay is a bay in Central Queensland, Australia at the mouth of the Fitzroy River on the coast of the Coral Sea. Extent Keppel Bay extends from Station Point on Curtis Island () in the Gladstone Region to Zilzie Point at Zilzie () i ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

by Robert Brown in August 1802. Brown published the specimen as a new species in his 1810 ''On the Proteaceae of Jussieu'', but acknowledged its similarity to ''B. integrifolia'' in his choice of name: ''Banksia compar'' R.Br, from the Latin ''compar'', meaning "similar". In 1870,

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studi ...

declared it a synonym of ''B. integrifolia''., but this arrangement lasted only until 1913, when Frederick Bailey declared the taxon to be a distinct variety of ''B. integrifolia'' in his ''Comprehensive Catalogue of Queensland Plants''. In 1994, it was promoted to subspecies rank by

Kevin Thiele Kevin R. Thiele is currently an adjunct associate professor at the University of Western Australia and the director of Taxonomy Australia. He was the curator of the Western Australian Herbarium from 2006 to 2015. His research interests include ...

; its

full name A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is known, ...

is therefore "''Banksia integrifolia'' subsp. ''compar'' (R.Br.) K.R.Thiele". For many years a montane form of the subspecies was recognised, with differences in leaf shape and fruiting structure, but it was not known whether these were real morphological variations, or simply adaptations to the colder weather at high altitudes. In 1994, at the same time that the taxon was promoted from variety to subspecies rank, the montane form was declared a separate subspecies, ''Banksia integrifolia'' subsp. ''monticola''.

Distribution and habitat

''Banksia integrifolia'' subsp. ''compar'' is generally found on infertile, sandy soils within 50 kilometres (30 mi) of the coast. Endemic to Australia, it occurs along the east coast of

from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in the south, north to Proserpine. ''

The Banksia Atlas ''The Banksia Atlas'' is an atlas that documents the ranges, habitats and growth forms of various species and other subgeneric taxa of ''Banksia'', an iconic Australian wildflower genus. First published in 1988, it was the result of a three-ye ...

'' also recorded "a possible outlier near Bishops Peak, Cardwell" which, if correct, would extend the subspecies' range by about 400 kilometres (250 mi).

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2882705 compar integrifolia subsp. compar Flora of Queensland Plant subspecies