Banksia 'Celia Rosser'
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Banksia canei'', commonly known as the mountain banksia, is a species of shrub that is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to southeastern Australia. It is generally encountered as a many-branched shrub that grows up to high, with narrow leaves and the yellow
inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
s (flower spikes) appearing from late summer to early winter. The old
flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
s fall off the spikes and up to 150 finely furred follicles develop, which remain closed until burnt in a
bushfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
. Each follicle bears two winged
seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...
s. Response to fire is poorly known, although it is thought to regenerate by seed. Birds such as the
yellow-tufted honeyeater The yellow-tufted honeyeater (''Lichenostomus melanops'') is a passerine bird found in the south-east ranges of Australia. A predominantly black and yellow honeyeater, it is split into four subspecies. Taxonomy The yellow-tufted honeyeater was f ...
and various insects forage among the flower spikes. It is
frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...
tolerant in cultivation, but copes less well with aridity or humidity and is often short-lived in gardens. One
cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
, ''Banksia'' 'Celia Rosser', was registered in 1978, but has subsequently vanished. Although no subspecies are recognised, four topodemes (geographically isolated populations) have been described, as there is significant variation in the shape of both adult and juvenile
leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
between populations. Although superficially resembling '' B. marginata'', it is more closely related to another subalpine species, '' B. saxicola''.


Description

''Banksia canei'' grows as a woody shrub to in height, usually with many branches. Its
bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...
is smooth with horizontal
lenticel A lenticel is a porous tissue consisting of cells with large intercellular spaces in the periderm of the secondarily thickened organs and the Bark (botany), bark of woody stems and roots of gymnosperms and dicotyledonous flowering plants. It func ...
s, initially reddish-brown before fading to grey tones. The stiff leaves are
arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestratio ...
alternately along the stems and show significant variation in shape and size. Adult leaves are linear or narrowly
obovate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...
in shape, and generally measure , though some populations have leaves as short as or as long as . The juvenile leaves are generally larger and wider with dentate margins.Salkin, p. 170. New growth is seen mainly from February to April. The complex flower spikes, known as
inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
s, appear between December and May, peaking over February to April. They arise from
nodes In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a vertex). Node may refer to: In mathematics *Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph *Vertex (geometry), a point where two or more curves, lines, ...
of 1–3-year-old branchlets or can be terminal. Cylindrical in shape, they are composed of a central woody spike, from which a large number of compact floral units arise perpendicularly to it. They are generally high and wide, but some do reach high.
Mauve Mauve ( ; ) is a pale purple color named after the mallow flower (French: ). The first use of the word ''mauve'' as a color was in 1796–1798 according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', but its use seems to have been rare before 1859. ...
-tinted in bud, they generally open to become pale yellow in colour. As with most banksias,
anthesis Anthesis is the period during which a flower is fully open and functional. It may also refer to the onset of that period. The onset of anthesis is spectacular in some species. In ''Banksia'' species, for example, anthesis involves the extension ...
is
acropetal This glossary of mycology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to mycology, the study of fungi. Terms in common with other fields, if repeated here, generally focus on their mycology-specific meaning. Related terms can be found ...
; the opening of the individual buds proceeds up the flower spike from the base to the top. The flower limbs may be pale grey or blue-tinged, while the styles are yellow. As the inflorescences age, the old flowers fall away, leaving a naked spike. Up to 150 follicles develop, each covered in short fine fur which is initially pale brown but fades to green-grey and partly wears away. More or less elliptic in shape, they measure long, high, and wide, and mostly remain closed until burnt by fire, although a few may open after several years. They contain two fertile seeds each, between which lies a woody dark brown separator of similar shape to the seeds. Measuring in length, the seed is obovate and composed of a dark brown -wide membranous 'wing' and crescent-shaped (
lunate Lunate is a crescent or moon-shaped microlith. In the specialized terminology of lithic reduction, a lunate flake is a small, crescent-shaped lithic flake, flake removed from a stone tool during the process of pressure flaking. In the Natufian cu ...
) seed proper which measures long by wide. The seed surface can be smooth or covered in tiny ridges, and often glistens. The resulting seedling first grows two obovate
cotyledon A cotyledon ( ; ; "a cavity, small cup, any cup-shaped hollow", gen. (), ) is a "seed leaf" – a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant – and is formally defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or mor ...
leaves, which may remain for several months as several more leaves appear.


Taxonomy

''Banksia canei'' was first described in 1967 by James H. Willis, who had collected it on 27 November 1962 along the Mt. Seldom Seen track in the vicinity of Wulgulmerang, Victoria. Earlier collections include a specimen
Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria, Australia ...
had collected near
Omeo Omeo ( ) is a town in Victoria, Australia on the Great Alpine Road, east of Mount Hotham, in the Shire of East Gippsland. At the 2016 census, Omeo had a population of 406. The name is derived from an Aboriginal word for 'mountains' or 'hi ...
in 1853, and one found by
Richard Hind Cambage Richard Hind Cambage (7 November 1859 – 28 November 1928) was an Australian surveyor and botanist who made important contributions to the description of the genera ''Acacia'' and ''Eucalyptus''. Early life Cambage, son of John Fisher Cambag ...
in 1908 near Kydra Peak. However, neither botanist considered this to be a new species at the time, instead holding it to be an unusual mountain
form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form may also refer to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter dat ...
of the locally widespread '' B. marginata''. Willis named the species after Victorian plantsman Bill Cane who had alerted authorities to the existence of an unusual banksia that was distinct from ''B. marginata'' some years previously. At the time, a plant collected from Mount Fulton near
Port Davey Port Davey is an embayment, oceanic inlet located in the South West Tasmania, south west region of Tasmania, Australia. Port Davey was named by explorer James Kelly (Australian explorer), James Kelly in honour of Thomas Davey (governor), Thomas ...
in
South West Tasmania South West Tasmania is a region in Tasmania that has evoked curiosity and wonder during the period of European presence on the island. Initially relatively unexplored by Europeans, in the mid-twentieth century the area was considered for its ...
was thought to be ''B. canei'', but it was later reassessed as ''B. marginata''. ''B. canei'' can be distinguished by its larger follicles and sharp points to the leaves. In his 1981 monograph of the genus ''Banksia'', Alex George noted that despite a superficial resemblance to ''B. marginata'', its bare old cones and stouter foliage indicated a closer relationship to '' B. integrifolia'' and '' B. saxicola'', although it lacks the latter species' whorled
leaf arrangement In botany, phyllotaxis () or phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem. Phyllotactic spirals form a distinctive class of patterns in nature. Leaf arrangement The basic arrangements of leaves on a stem are opposite and alternat ...
. A fossil species, '' B. kingii'' from the late
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
of Melaleuca Inlet in southwestern Tasmania, has robust foliage and
infructescence In botany, infructescence (fruiting head) is defined as the ensemble of fruits derived from the ovaries of an inflorescence. It usually retains the size and structure of the inflorescence. In some cases, infructescences are similar in appearance ...
resembling those of ''B. canei'' and ''B. saxicola'', and appears to be a recently extinct relative. The leaf of a much older fossil species '' Banksieaephyllum acuminatum'' from
Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...
deposits in the
Latrobe Valley The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical district and urban area of the Gippsland region in the state of Victoria, Australia. The traditional owners are the Brayakaulung of the Gunai nation. The district lies east of Melbourne and nestle ...
closely resembles ''B. canei'' in shape, anatomy and vein pattern.Salkin, p. 151. The current
taxonomic 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme of classes (a taxonomy) and the allocation ...
arrangement of the genus ''Banksia'' is based on botanist Alex George's 1999 monograph for the ''
Flora of Australia The flora of Australia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 21,000 vascular and 14,000 non-vascular plants, 250,000 species of fungi and over 3,000 lichens. The flora has strong affinities with the flora of Gondwana, ...
'' book series. In this arrangement, ''B. canei'' is placed in ''Banksia''
subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...
''
Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and woody fruiting "cones" and head ...
'', because its inflorescences take the form of ''Banksia'''s characteristic flower spikes;
section Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...
''Banksia'' because of its straight styles; and
series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...
''Salicinae'' because its inflorescences are cylindrical.
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 ...
placed it in a subseries ''Integrifoliae'', where he found strong support for it and ''B. saxicola'' to be each other's closest relative. The two were a sister group (i.e. next closest relative) to the four then-recognised subspecies of ''B. integrifolia''. The subseries all bear whorled leaves apart from ''B. canei'' and ''B. aquilonia''. However, this subgrouping of the ''Salicinae'' was not supported by George. He did place the two
subalpine Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...
taxa (''B. canei'' and ''B. saxicola'') at the end of the sequence as he thought they were the most recently evolved species, since he considered the group to have a tropical origin and ''B. dentata'' to be the oldest lineage. ''B. canei'''s placement within ''Banksia'' may be summarised as follows: :Genus ''
Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and woody fruiting "cones" and head ...
'' ::Subgenus '' Isostylis'' ::Subgenus ''
Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and woody fruiting "cones" and head ...
'' :::Section '' Oncostylis'' :::Section '' Coccinea'' :::Section ''
Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and woody fruiting "cones" and head ...
'' ::::Series '' Grandes'' ::::Series ''
Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and woody fruiting "cones" and head ...
'' ::::Series '' Crocinae'' ::::Series '' Prostratae'' ::::Series ''
Cyrtostylis ''Cyrtostylis'', commonly known as gnat orchids, is a genus of five or six species of flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to Australia and New Zealand. Cyrtostylis orchids often form dense colonies of genetically id ...
'' ::::Series '' Tetragonae'' ::::Series '' Bauerinae'' ::::Series '' Quercinae'' ::::Series '' Salicinae'' :::::'' B. dentata'' – '' B. aquilonia'' – '' B. integrifolia'' – '' B. plagiocarpa'' – '' B. oblongifolia'' – '' B. robur'' – '' B. conferta'' – '' B. paludosa'' – '' B. marginata'' – ''B. canei'' – '' B. saxicola'' Since 1998, American botanist
Austin Mast Austin R. Mast is a research botanist. Born in 1972, he obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2000. He is currently a professor within the Department of Biological Science at Florida State University (FSU), and has been ...
and co-authors have been publishing results of ongoing cladistic analyses of
DNA sequence A nucleic acid sequence is a succession of bases within the nucleotides forming alleles within a DNA (using GACT) or RNA (GACU) molecule. This succession is denoted by a series of a set of five different letters that indicate the order of the nu ...
data for the subtribe Banksiinae, which then comprised genera ''Banksia'' and ''
Dryandra ''Banksia'' ser. ''Dryandra'' is a series of 94 species of shrub to small tree in the plant genus ''Banksia''. It was considered a separate genus named ''Dryandra'' until early 2007, when it was merged into ''Banksia'' on the basis of extensiv ...
''. Their analyses suggest a
phylogeny A phylogenetic tree or phylogeny is a graphical representation which shows the evolutionary history between a set of species or Taxon, taxa during a specific time.Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, M ...
that differs greatly from George's taxonomic arrangement. ''Banksia canei'' resolves as an early offshoot within the series Salicinae. Early in 2007, Mast and Thiele rearranged the genus ''Banksia'' by merging ''Dryandra'' into it, and published ''B.'' subg. ''Spathulatae'' for the taxa having spoon-shaped cotyledons; thus ''B.'' subg. ''Banksia'' was redefined as encompassing taxa lacking spoon-shaped cotyledons. They foreshadowed publishing a full arrangement once DNA sampling of ''Dryandra'' was complete; in the meantime, if Mast and Thiele's nomenclatural changes are taken as an interim arrangement, then ''B. canei'' is placed in ''B.'' subg. ''Spathulatae''.


Distribution and habitat

Several disjunct populations of ''Banksia canei'' have been recorded across alpine areas of southeastern Australia, generally at altitudes of in northeastern Victoria and southeastern
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. One outlier at a lower altitude has been found on land partly cleared for agriculture at elevation at Yowrie. The species is listed as "Rare in Victoria" on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's ''Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria''. In a 1978 paper reviewing the species, Alf Salkin coined the term ''topodeme'' to indicate a geographically isolated population of plants, derived from the
Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
words ''topos'' "place" and ''deme'' "people" or "county (population)". Salkin described four populations (topodemes), each found in granite-based rocky soils in subalpine regions, and isolated from one another by wide river valleys. They would have occupied lower altitudes at cooler geological periods and higher altitudes in warmer times. Each of the main four populations varies from the others in their leaf morphology. Salkin observed that as the habitat and environment was similar across the range, the differences were secondary to
genetic drift Genetic drift, also known as random genetic drift, allelic drift or the Wright effect, is the change in the Allele frequency, frequency of an existing gene variant (allele) in a population due to random chance. Genetic drift may cause gene va ...
, as certain traits have begun to dominate over others by chance as the populations begin to diverge genetically. Most populations are located south or east of the
Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...
, the exception being the
Snowy Mountains The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", is an IBRA subregion in southern New South Wales, Australia, and is the tallest mountain range in mainland Australia, being part of the continent's Great Dividing Range, a cordillera syste ...
population. The Kybean Range population is contiguous, while the others are fragmented. From west to east the populations are: * The Wellington River form, in the Snowy Range from
Mount Howitt Mount Howitt, also known as ''Toot-buck-nulluck'' in the Gunai language, is a mountain in Victoria, Australia, named for Alfred William Howitt. Located in the Wonangatta Moroka Unit of the Alpine National Park approximately 170 km north-e ...
southwards to an area between the Moroka and Barkly Rivers. The Wonnangatta Mitchell system separates this form from the Wulgulmerang form to the east.Salkin, p. 148. The margins of the adult leaves are prominently dentate (toothed), much more so than other forms which may have occasional 'teeth' here and there. The flower has a distinctive blue-grey limb. * The Snowy Mountains form, found to the north of the Snowy Mountains and west of the
Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
,
Talbingo Talbingo is a small town in New South Wales, Australia at the edge of the Snowy Mountains on the Snowy Mountains Highway. The town is 410 metres above sea level. It is on the Tumut River, which has been inundated by Jounama Pondage. Talbingo re ...
and
Corryong Corryong is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, east of Albury-Wodonga, near the upper reaches of the Murray River and close to the New South Wales border. At the , Corryong had a population of 1,348. The post office opene ...
in the Bogong Peaks. This is separated by the
Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...
to the south. This form has the smallest infructescences, measuring high and wide.Salkin, p. 171. The adult leaves are long, while the flowers are small, with perianths only long. Like those of the Wellington River form, the flower limbs are blue-grey. * The Wulgulmerang form, located to the north and east of
Omeo Omeo ( ) is a town in Victoria, Australia on the Great Alpine Road, east of Mount Hotham, in the Shire of East Gippsland. At the 2016 census, Omeo had a population of 406. The name is derived from an Aboriginal word for 'mountains' or 'hi ...
, to Wulgulmerang and the
Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...
. The flower limb is a more yellow-brown and the infructescences resemble those of ''B. marginata''. It is found among granite rocks in association with the candlebark (''
Eucalyptus rubida ''Eucalyptus rubida'', commonly known as candlebark, ribbon gum or white gum, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, sometimes with rough bark at the base, lance-shaped or curved ...
''). * The Kybean Range form, in southeastern New South Wales – located in the Kybean Range and
Tuross River The Tuross River, an open semi-mature wave dominated barrier estuary or perennial stream, is located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Tuross River rises of the eastern slopes of the Kybeyan Range, ...
east of
Cooma Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega, New South Wales, Bega with the Riverina. ...
. The
Snowy River The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the ...
separates this form from the Wulgulmerang form to the west. This form has the largest flower spikes and infructescences, measuring up to high and wide. It has very short adult leaves, yet wide juvenile leaves that resemble ''Banksia integrifolia''. There is one report of
naturalisation Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
in Western Australia, near Jerramungup, on a road verge.


Ecology

''Banksia'' flower spikes are important sources of
nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...
for mammals, insects and birds, particularly honeyeaters. Animals recorded foraging among the flower spikes of ''B. canei'' include the
yellow-tufted honeyeater The yellow-tufted honeyeater (''Lichenostomus melanops'') is a passerine bird found in the south-east ranges of Australia. A predominantly black and yellow honeyeater, it is split into four subspecies. Taxonomy The yellow-tufted honeyeater was f ...
(''Lichenostomus melanops''), bees, wasps and ants. ''Banksia canei'' lacks a
lignotuber 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 respons ...
and appears to regenerate from
bushfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
by seed, although its response to fire has been little studied. The follicles remain closed until burnt, although some do open spontaneously after five years or so. The fungus ''
Banksiamyces toomansis ''Banksiamyces toomansis'' is a species of fungus in the family Helotiaceae. It was first described as ''Tympanis toomansis'' by Miles Joseph Berkeley and Christopher Edmund Broome in 1886, and transferred to the genus ''Encoelia'' in 1957 by R ...
'', of the order
Helotiales Helotiales is an order (biology), order of the class Leotiomycetes within the division Ascomycota. The taxonomy within Helotiales has been debated. It has expanded significantly as genomic techniques for taxonomical identification have become mor ...
, infects older cones and seed, and hence seed older than about five years is often not viable. ''
Plectronidium australiense ''Plectronidium australiense'' is a species of anamorphic fungus. Known only from Australia, where it grows on the dead branches of '' Banksia canei'', it was described as new to science in 1986. Its conidia have a basal appendage and measure 19â ...
'' is a species of
anamorphic Anamorphic format is a cinematography technique that captures widescreen images using recording media with narrower native Aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios. Originally developed for 35 mm movie film, 35 mm film to create widescreen pres ...
fungus that was recovered from a dead branch of ''B. canei'' at
Healesville Sanctuary Healesville Sanctuary, formally known as the Sir Colin MacKenzie Sanctuary, is a zoo specialising in native Australian animals. It is located at Healesville in rural Victoria, Australia, and has a history of breeding native animals. It is on ...
and described in 1986.


Use in horticulture

''Banksia canei'' is somewhat slow-growing in cultivation, and takes around five to seven years to flower from seed. Its furry-follicled fruiting cones are attractive, although generally obscured by foliage. Although grown successfully in England and tolerant of temperatures to , ''Banksia canei'' has a reputation of being difficult to keep alive in Australian gardens. Plants often grow well as seedlings in pots, but perish once planted in the ground. The species is tolerant to frost, but not to aridity or possibly more humid conditions. The species prefers a sunny aspect and fair drainage. It has been grown in inland New South Wales on the
Southern Tablelands The Southern Tablelands is a geographic area of New South Wales, Australia, located south-west of Sydney and generally west of the Great Dividing Range. The area is characterised by high, flat country which has generally been extensively cl ...
and
Rylstone Rylstone is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated very near to Cracoe and about south west of Grassington. The population of the civil parish as of the 2001 census was 122, and had risen to 160 ...
. ''Banksia canei'' seed requires stratificationstoring at for 60 daysbefore it germinates, which takes a further 6 to 25 days. Salkin proposed this was necessary so that seed released in a summer or autumn bushfire would lie dormant over the winter months before germinating in the spring. ''Banksia saxicola'' and some ''Banksia marginata'' seeds of subalpine provenance also share this trait. In 1975, as part of a study on the four populations of ''B. canei'', Salkin carried out germination experiments, producing around a thousand seedlings. In January that year, two seedlings from the Wulgulmerang population displayed deeply lobed (
pinnatisect The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets ...
) leaves and a prostrate habit. One died, but in April two seedlings from the Wellington River seed appeared which bore the same appearance. Both these younger seedlings died, but the one older plant survived. It was propagated and registered as a
cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
''Banksia'' 'Celia Rosser' on 28 May 1978, named in honour of
Celia Rosser Celia Elizabeth Rosser (born 1930) is an Australian botanical illustrator, best known for having published ''The Banksias'', a three-volume series of monographs containing watercolour paintings of every ''Banksia'' species. Born Celia Elizabe ...
, an artist who has illustrated many banksias. It produced flower spikes high and wide, which made up for their small size by their abundance. Salkin felt its importance lay not in its horticultural potential but in its appearance in two geographically distant populations. He felt it represented the reappearance of an earlier (possibly ancestral) form, representing " allelomorphs all but lost".Salkin, p. 150. However, the cultivar has since vanished.


References


Cited text

* Salkin, Abraham Isaac (Alf) (1979). "Variation in ''Banksia'' in Eastern Australia". (MSc thesis). Clayton, Victoria: Monash University.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Banksia canei canei Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Plants described in 1967