The Banksia Garden a gift for the 50th birthday of the

ANBG

Prepared by the Banksia

Garden Handbook

Working Group:

Pam Cooke

Boronia Halstead

Kath Holtzapffel

Tricia Morton

Trish Munro

Pam Rooney (who made it beautiful)

Download it from Guidesweb:

https://www.friendsanbg.org.au/guideswe

b/couch/uploads/file/the_banksia_garden_

handbook_compressed.pdf

Three copies are in the Guides Office

(please do not take them away for long)

The contents of the Banksia Garden Handbook

1. The Banksia Garden in the ANBG

2. Naming of banksias

3. Banksias, botanical features – What makes a banksia?

4. Threats to banksias

5. Growing banksias in the home garden

6. Banksias in art

7. Banksias and animals

8. Uses of banksias

9. Plant list for the Banksia Garden

Written in 1771

We all know that Banksias were named after Joseph

Banks, by Carl Linnaeus the Younger in 1782.

If Linnaeus had had his way, Australia would be called

‘Banksia’, and our new Garden might have been in the

Banksian National Botanic Gardens, and we would all

have been Banksians! There is a much longer quote

from this letter in the Handbook.

The great Banksia Dryandra controversy • Almost all of the plants in the Banksia Garden are from the

‘original’ banksias and this is the focus of the Banksia Handbook

• the planting list contains a handful of dryandras for comparison

• DNA evidence that dryandras and banksias had a common ancestor was published in a paper by Mast and Thiele in 2007 and dryandras are now recognised as a sub-genera of the Banksia genus by the Australian Plant Census

• For an explanation of this change see https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/articles/dryandra-banksia/

This is still a very live debate…

There is a discussion of the taxonomy of banksias in the chapter on

Botanical Features. You might know that the Banksia genus more than

doubled in size with the addition of 97 species of Dryandras (which are

only found in WA). Almost all of the plants in the Banksia Garden are

‘original banksias’ but there are a few plants that were formerly

Dryandras.

Most of the focus of the Banksia Handbook is on ‘original’ banksias.

The images on the previous slide show Banksia (dryandra) formosa,

and a cross section of a Dryandra cone, showing the very different

arrangement of follicles attached by ‘umbilical chords’ to a receptable.

They are not embedded and can be pulled away.

This controversy still rages – earlier this year a separate Dryandra

Lovers Facebook page was set up

Wow stuff about the Banksia Garden • Eighty banksia species displayed – the largest collection on the eastern side of

Australia

• Extreme horticulture - cutting edge know-how used for growing difficult WA species

• 28 species are grown on grafted eastern-states rootstock

• special growing media and mounding to provide sharp drainage

• heatbank walls for below-zero winter temperatures

• Beautiful artwork

• Sandstone walls

• Celebration of Aboriginal usage of banksias

• Collaborative partnership between the ANBG, the Friends Council, and banksia

enthusiasts from around Australia – sharing knowledge and planting material

• Specialist growers such as Kevin and Kath Collins, and Phil Trickett, specialist seed

suppliers and other banksia enthusiasts around Australia.

• Venue for celebrations, including night-time events

Banksia Garden Plan

This is a very sunny site Main entry point

Mounds

• High side of the garden has mounds for banksias that cannot tolerate wet feet (WA species)

• mounds not only help with drainage – they provide a vertical canvas, with spectacular terminal-flowered species

beckoning to visitors

• mounds have viewing alcoves – with vistas that tell stories or highlight particular plants.

• The heat bank walls provide warmth and shelter from winds for plants that might struggle with Canberra’s

winters

Down-hill side

• water harvesting swales, show-casing Banksia robur ‘Purple Paramour’, and sand dunes with B integrifolia

Fire installation

• Carrying on the story of the interaction between banksias and fire, the burnt banksia installation provides

drama at the bottom of the Garden

• Periwinkle firepit

Plantings

• Plantings illustrate stories on signage, and also showcase the variety of forms within a species – eg tall and

dwarf forms of B marginata and B integrifolia

Other features

• Raised beds have seating on walls – these beds bring plants with hidden flowers and cones to eye level –

don’t miss this!

• Lighting installations throughout the Garden, including some special lighting with Banksia motif

The

pathway •The pathway through the

Banksia Garden has

Aboriginal words and phrases

relating to banksias

embedded in it.

•It also has a scattering of

banksia leaves, intended to

portray the blowing of banksia

leaves in the wind.

•There is a circular work in the

courtyard of the Banks

Building which has leaves

arranged in a radiating

pattern, echoing the

arrangement of banksia

flowers on a spike.

Aboriginal names for banksias and some stories about their usage

• The Banksia Handbook contains a chapter on the naming of banksias, including Aboriginal names, and Aboriginal usage is covered in the chapter on uses of banksias

• The provenance of the Aboriginal words in the pathway has been checked with linguists and Aboriginal language custodians

• Recently I found a Dharawal cautionary tale about bad and good banksia men

https://dharawalstories.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/wattungoori922kb.pdf

• The nectar from B menzeisii was used to prepare a sweet drink, which was

consumed at ‘Sweet Water Festivals’, and similar sweetened drinks were used in

a celebratory way by groups of Aboriginal people on the other side of the continent

around Sydney, reportedly using B spinulosa (Caley’s letter to Banks)

https://transcripts.sl.nsw.gov.au/page/letter-received-banks-george-caley-7-

october-1807-series-18069-no-0002)

This is the design for the etchings on the clear panels in the Pergola in the Garden – put

together by Ruth White on the horticulture team, displaying the leaves of different species of

banksia. Note the wide variety in leaf shapes and sizes – from tiny to large and deeply lobed.

This corten panel is one of a pair featuring stencils of the WA species B menziesii, with the

newly named eastern states B robur cultivar, ‘Purple Paramour’ in the foreground, and a

B plagiocarpa with new growth on the RHS. The composition shows off the matching rusty

tones of the plants and the artwork.

The corten fire pit will be used to burn banksia cones to demonstrate how fire releases

seeds for some banksias.

The periwinkle design is inspired by the spiral arrangement of flowers on some banksias.

This will provide an inviting space for groups.

Themes of the Banksia Garden • B solandri – a rare species commemorating two memorable botanists –

Joseph Banks and the Swedish Daniel Solander, who botanised together at

various places the eastern coast of Australia

• The B spinulosa complex – connecting cultivars to parent species & the

diversity found within a group

• Extreme horticulture – a living experiment

• Fire & banksias – fire installation

• The life cycle of a banksia

• Banksias and fauna –highlighting prominent and hidden flowers and their

likely pollinators (insects / birds / mammals)

• Coastal dunes – where Banksia forms a key habitat – featuring B integrifolia

• Conservation of threatened species – featuring B brownii

Some of the themes came to light after we had put the Handbook to bed,

so I will cover the new ones briefly in this presentation. The others are

covered in the Handbook

• The Joseph Banks/Daniel Solander connection – featuring B solandri

• B spinulosa group

• Banksias and fauna – highlighting prominent and hidden flowers and

likely pollinators – insects/birds and mammals;

• Banksias and coastal dunes – featuring B integrifolia

• Conservation purpose of the Garden – showcasing B brownii

Banksia

solandri

Banksia solandri • You will see a marvellous little grove of these on the RHS as soon as you enter the

Garden. They already have old cones! It holds onto its old flowers as the cones age.

• Banksia solandri’s name commemorates both Joseph Banks and the Swedish Daniel

Solander who was a student of Linnaeus, and later became Bank’s librarian in Soho

Sq in London. They were together on the Endeavour and went botanising when the

ship made landfall at different places along the east coast, including Botany Bay (or

Kundul or Kamay).

• B solandri was first collected by William Baxter, and named by Robert Brown in 1830,

some decades after Banks and Solander returned to England. To an English eye it

appeared to have leaves like an English Oak. The flower heads smell strongly of

coconut, cherry and musk according to Kevin Collins. It is closely related to B grandis.

You can see that it has very shaggy flower heads.

• It is quite rare and found only in the Stirling Ranges in WA. It is a reseeder and is

killed by fire. It is also highly susceptible to Phytophthera. The plants in the Garden

are grafted onto B integrifolia rootstock which is a much more adaptable species.

The Banksia spinulosa

complex

Banksia spinulosa had several varieties

until a few years ago: var spinulosa,

collina, cunninghamii and neoanglica.

These have now been classified as

species in their own right.

B vincentia is closely related to B

neoanglica.

There is a lot of morphological diversity in

this complex and further new species may

be identified in future

There are many cultivars of B spinulosa

(some are planted in the BG) Photo: Karlo Taliano

Banksia spinulosa had several varieties until recently: var spinulosa, collina,

cunninghamii and neoanglica, but these have now been classified as species in their

own right. B spinulosa and B cunninghamii grow side by side over a wide area but

there are no known hybrids – so they are reproductively isolated, and now belong to

two separate species. Banksia vincentia is closely related to Banksia neoanglica

(which is in the Wow Banksias Walk).

There is a lot of colour variation of styles within the spinulosa complex, green or

cream close to the central axis, becoming red to maroon to purple, to dark purple or

black, further transformed to green in B. collina.

Cultivars include Banksia Birthday Candles, Coastal Gold, Coastal Cushion, Black

Magic and Stumpy Gold.

Banksia Giant Candles is a chance hybrid of B ericifolia and B spinulosa

They all have crowded follicles that open with fire.

More details of the taxonomic history:

https://www.biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.163.5.3

Banksia

spinulosa

Photos: Karlo Taliano

Banksia spinulosa is an eastern

states banksia. It starts producing

nectar from the top down, with

anthesis or the opening of the

flowers going down the flower

spike. You can see the hooked

styles of the flowers on this flower

head here, as well as the vertical

arrangement of flower pairs.

The second image shows the crowded follicles of

the spinulosa complex. It drops its dead florets,

contrasting with other species that hold onto them,

such as Banksia serrata.

from a lignotuber

after fire All of the Banksia spinulosa

complex apart from Banksia

cunninghamii have a lignotuber

and can resprout after a fire.

Photo: Karlo Taliano

Banksia spinulosa resprouts

Banksia integrifolia on coastal dunes

‘Integrifolia’ refers to the intact margins on

adult leaves

The Wow Banksia Walk notes cover this sp.

More information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_integrifolia

Have a look on the ground below the

specimen in the rock garden and you may

find these seed separators.

The Gunai people of Gippsland call it birrna

Banksia integrifolia on coastal dunes

• One of the most widely distributed banksias, down the east coast of Australia –

mostly within 50 km of the coast (but can be within 200 km, eg in the Blue

Mountains)

• Highly variable plant – from tall trees to a prostrate form

• Flowers all through the year, but peaks in Autumn – flowers are more short-

lived than other banksia sp. It also drops its withered florets.

• Releases seed spontaneously when mature – can regenerate from epicormic

buds under the bark after fire

• High resistance to P cinnamomi – often used as rootstock for grafting – very

tough, and at home in wet or dry conditions

B integrifolia is one of the plants on the Wow Banksias Walk, so you will find

more detail in the notes for that Walk.

Banksias and

fire installation

Burnt Banksia serrata skeletons

from Booderie NP The arrangement on the ground shows

the lifecycle from seeds in burnt cones to

seedlings to growing plants. This

installation creates a linkage to the fire

theme illustrated in the neighbouring tree-

house.

Conservation theme -

Banksia brownii or Feather

Leaved Banksia

Grafted onto Banksia integrifolia

rootstock in the Banksia Garden

• Found only in two population clusters between

Albany and the Stirling Ranges in SW WA

• Is categorised as ‘Rare and Endangered’ in

the wild

• Is highly susceptible to P cinnamomi

• Other threats – land clearing and too many

fires

• Widely cultivated for the cut flower industry

Photo Phil Trickett

Banksia brownii Relies on reseeding – has no lignotuber

Really up against it

• Highly susceptible to Phytophthera

• Has one of the lowest outcrossing rates of any species of Banksia

• Has a low rate of fruiting – only 1% of flowers develop into follicles.

• Each follicle contains only one seed.

• Seed survival rate is low due to predation from insect larvae and birds.

Styles are downwardly hooked rather than straight.

The specimens in the BG are grafted onto B integrifolia rootstock

First collected by William Baxter and named after Robert Brown, at Baxter’s

suggestion.

Unfortunately, this is only one of a number of species under threat, and the Banksia

Woodlands of the Swan R Coastal Plain have been listed as threatened habitat.

The Wow Banksias walk

Banksia

aquilo

nia

• Kath Holtzapffel has developed a walk showcasing mature specimens of banksia

in the ANBG, demonstrating the ‘WOW’ of the genus as a whole

• Guides can compare the younger plants in the Banksia Garden with mature

specimens and their cones elsewhere in the ANBG

• The Walk can be done as a feature walk, or Guides could take visitors to

individual specimens as part of a general walk

• Notes for the Wow Banksias Walk can be found at https://www.friendsanbg.org.au/guidesweb/pages.php?p=730#Wow%20banksias%20walk

• Kath would be delighted to take Guides around the WBW.

Images show B aquilonia (graceful new growth, flower head and cones with closed and open follicles) – from

one of the plants on this Walk. If you noticed that the cones look like B integrifolia

Banksias always have something to offer – not only their flowers

Photo:

Karlo Taliano

Banksia

blechnifolia

leaf

Banksia nutans cones

Banksia nutans cones with flattened follicles

on a large and distinctive cone. It has

pendulous flower-heads. This is one of the

plants you might notice if you sit in the right

place in the Banksia Garden, as I found on

my visit last week!

Banksia blechnifolia new leaves showing

stomatal crypts and yellow mid-rib on young

leaves. The leaves and flower-heads grow

out of branchlets lying on the ground.

Photos:

Boronia

Halstead

and more … … .

Banksia robur (purple form)

new growth

Banksia cones

Photos: Kevin/Kath Collins, Banksia Lovers Facebook page

Banksia-like plants have been on our planet for

60 million years. They have evolved to present

us with the amazing diversity that we enjoy today

– from large trees to small prostrate plants.

This is the seed and seed separator of a Banksia

serrata. Wings have enable banksias to move

their range, but humans have blocked off so

many of their options to adapt now – with land

clearing and land degradation from salinity and

weed infestation. They are also under threat

from climate change, P cinnamomi and more

frequent fires.

I would like to leave you with a question as you

read the Banksia Handbook: will banksias still be

on the planet in another 60 million years? Will we

have all of the species richness we have today

even in 60 years?

A parting thought

…

So - read all about it…

• The wide variation between species - in leaves, flower-heads and cones,

growth habits

• How banksias are important for Aboriginal people

• How Australia could have been called Banksia if Linnaeus had his way

• How banksias have adapted to particular regimes of fire, some through

reshooting as well as reseeding

• How banksias rely on fire but protect their offspring from being ‘cooked’ in

their follicles

• How banksia pollination works

• How banksias make the most of tiny amounts of Phosphorus in SW WA

soils: they are highly efficient miners and make leaves and seeds by

recycling scarce resources

• How banksias have inspired beautiful art