Banksia ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia
Encyclopedia
Banksia ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia is a recently recognised subspecies of Banksia ashbyi
. It is the lignotuberous form of the species, and occurs along the north-west coast of Western Australia
, between Carnarvon
and North West Cape
.
. This is in contrast to the autonym
ic subspecies, B. ashbyi subsp. ashbyi
, which lacks a lignotuber, and grows as a tree up to seven metres in height. In addition, the leaves of B. ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia are consistently grey-green in colour, whereas those of B. ashbyi subsp. ashbyi are usually deep green.
published the lignotuberous form as B. ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia, thus invoking the autonym
B. ashbyi subsp. ashbyi for the non-lignotuberous form. George noted that although it is not possible to distinguish between the subspecies from the flowers, fruit or foliage, the distinctive differences in habit are retained in cultivation. For the type specimen of B. ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia, George chose a specimen collected from Quobba Point by Kevin Francis Kenneally on 15 October 1975. The specific epithet boreoscaia is from the Greek
borealis ("northern") and skaios ("west"), and refers to the fact that this is the only Banksia taxon to occur in the north-west of Western Australia.
Banksia ashbyi
The Ashby's Banksia is a species of shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs in heath and spinifex country along the coast of Western Australia between Geraldton and Exmouth.-Description:...
. It is the lignotuberous form of the species, and occurs along the north-west coast of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, between Carnarvon
Carnarvon, Western Australia
Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Reef lies to the north...
and North West Cape
North West Cape
North West Cape is a large peninsula of land in the north west coast of Western Australia. Cape Range runs down the spine of the peninsula and Ningaloo Reef runs along the western edge...
.
Description
This subspecies is the shrubby, fire-tolerant form of B. ashbyi. It grows as a sprawling shrub up to about two metres high, with a lignotuberLignotuber
A lignotuber is a starchy swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem by fire. The crown contains buds from which new stems may sprout, and a sufficient store of nutrients to support a period of growth in the absence of...
. This is in contrast to the autonym
Autonym (botany)
In botanical nomenclature, autonyms are automatically created names, as regulated by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature . Autonyms are cited without an author. Relevant provisions are in articles 6.8, 22.1-3 and 26.1-3....
ic subspecies, B. ashbyi subsp. ashbyi
Banksia ashbyi subsp. ashbyi
Banksia ashbyi subsp. ashbyi is a recently recognised subspecies of Banksia ashbyi. It is the non-lignotuberous arborescent form of the species, which occurs between Geraldton and Shark Bay, and in the Kennedy Ranges.-Description:...
, which lacks a lignotuber, and grows as a tree up to seven metres in height. In addition, the leaves of B. ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia are consistently grey-green in colour, whereas those of B. ashbyi subsp. ashbyi are usually deep green.
Distribution and habitat
B. ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia grows on coastal dunes amongst low shrubland, from Quobba, just north of Carnarvon, north to North West Cape.Taxonomy
Although distinct lignotuberous and non-lignotuberous forms of B. ashbyi had long been recognised, they were not formally recognised as taxa until 2008, when Alex GeorgeAlex George
Alexander Segger George is a Western Australian botanist. He is the authority on the plant genera Banksia and Dryandra...
published the lignotuberous form as B. ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia, thus invoking the autonym
Autonym (botany)
In botanical nomenclature, autonyms are automatically created names, as regulated by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature . Autonyms are cited without an author. Relevant provisions are in articles 6.8, 22.1-3 and 26.1-3....
B. ashbyi subsp. ashbyi for the non-lignotuberous form. George noted that although it is not possible to distinguish between the subspecies from the flowers, fruit or foliage, the distinctive differences in habit are retained in cultivation. For the type specimen of B. ashbyi subsp. boreoscaia, George chose a specimen collected from Quobba Point by Kevin Francis Kenneally on 15 October 1975. The specific epithet boreoscaia is from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
borealis ("northern") and skaios ("west"), and refers to the fact that this is the only Banksia taxon to occur in the north-west of Western Australia.