Banksia lullfitzii
Encyclopedia
Banksia lullfitzii is a species
of shrub
in the plant
genus
Banksia
. A many-branched, spreading bush with golden-orange flowers, it occurs in scattered populations over a large area of the eastern goldfields of Western Australia
. First described by Charles Gardner
in 1966, it is placed in the taxonomic series Cyrtostylis
.
made up of hundreds of pairs of flowers densely packed in a spiral
round a woody axis. B. lullfitzii's flower spike is a golden orange colour, roughly ovoid
, 8 to 10 centimetres in diameter. The fruiting structure is a stout woody "cone" embedded with up to 30 follicles
.
, section Banksia
, series Cyrtostylis. Its closest relative is said to B. elderiana
(Swordfish Banksia). A 1996 cladistic analysis
of Banksia by Kevin Thiele
and Pauline Ladiges found Cyrtostylis to be "widely polyphyletic
", and suggested that B. lullfitzii should be listed as incertae sedis
. However this was not accepted by Alex George
in his 1999 contribution to the Flora of Australia
series.
as far as Koolyanobbing
. These occur on deep yellow sands in heath or mallee-heath. Although not many populations are known, the species is not considered under threat, as the area has poor access and is very poorly surveyed, making it likely that the species is under-recorded. Also, a significant proportion of known populations occur in nature reserves such as the Boorabbin National Park
, and the area's low rainfall makes it unlikely that the unprotected land will be cleared for agriculture. B. lullfitzii has been declared "Priority Three - Poorly Known Taxa" under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
in the plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Banksia
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. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...
. A many-branched, spreading bush with golden-orange flowers, it occurs in scattered populations over a large area of the eastern goldfields 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...
. First described by Charles Gardner
Charles Gardner
Charles Austin Gardner was a Western Australian botanist.Born in Lancaster, England on 6 January 1896, he emigrated to Western Australia with his family in 1909....
in 1966, it is placed in the taxonomic series Cyrtostylis
Banksia ser. Cyrtostylis
Banksia ser. Cyrtostylis is a valid botanic name for a taxonomic series within the plant genus Banksia. First published at sectional rank by George Bentham in 1870, it was demoted to a series by Alex George in 1981. The name has had three circumscriptions.-According to Bentham:Bentham published B....
.
Description
B. lullfitzii grows as a spreading, bushy shrub with many branches, up to two metres tall. Leaves are long and thin, being fro 20 to 45 centimetres long and 8 to 18 millimetres wide. Flowers occur in Banksias characteristic "flower spike", an inflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
made up of hundreds of pairs of flowers densely packed in a spiral
Helix
A helix is a type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space. It has the property that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis. Examples of helixes are coil springs and the handrails of spiral staircases. A "filled-in" helix – for...
round a woody axis. B. lullfitzii's flower spike is a golden orange colour, roughly ovoid
Oval (geometry)
In technical drawing, an oval is a figure constructed from two pairs of arcs, with two different radii . The arcs are joined at a point, in which lines tangential to both joining arcs lie on the same line, thus making the joint smooth...
, 8 to 10 centimetres in diameter. The fruiting structure is a stout woody "cone" embedded with up to 30 follicles
Follicle (fruit)
In botany, a follicle is a dry unilocular many-seeded fruit formed from one carpel and dehiscing by the ventral suture in order to release seeds, such as in larkspur, magnolia, banksia, peony and milkweed....
.
Taxonomy
First described by Charles Gardner in 1966, B. lullfitzii was named in honour of nurseryman Frederick Lullfitz. It is placed in Banksia subgenus BanksiaBanksia subg. Banksia
Banksia subg. Banksia is a valid botanic name for a subgenus of Banksia. As an autonym, it necessarily contains the type species of Banksia, B. serrata . Within this constraint, however, there have been various circumscriptions.-Banksia verae:B. subg...
, section Banksia
Banksia sect. Banksia
Banksia sect. Banksia is one of four sections of Banksia subgenus Banksia. It contains those species of subgenus Banksia with straight or sometimes curved but not hooked styles. These species all have cylindrical inflorescences and usually exhibit a bottom-up sequence of flower anthesis...
, series Cyrtostylis. Its closest relative is said to B. elderiana
Banksia elderiana
The Swordfish Banksia , commonly known as the swordfish banksia or palm banksia, is a species of shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs in two disjunct areas in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia...
(Swordfish Banksia). A 1996 cladistic analysis
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
of Banksia by Kevin Thiele
Kevin Thiele
Kevin R. Thiele is curator of the Western Australian Herbarium. His research interests include the systematics of the plant families Proteaceae, Rhamnaceae and Violaceae, and the conservation ecology of grassy woodland ecosystems...
and Pauline Ladiges found Cyrtostylis to be "widely polyphyletic
Polyphyly
A polyphyletic group is one whose members' last common ancestor is not a member of the group.For example, the group consisting of warm-blooded animals is polyphyletic, because it contains both mammals and birds, but the most recent common ancestor of mammals and birds was cold-blooded...
", and suggested that B. lullfitzii should be listed as incertae sedis
Incertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
. However this was not accepted by Alex George
Alex George
Alexander Segger George is a Western Australian botanist. He is the authority on the plant genera Banksia and Dryandra...
in his 1999 contribution to the Flora of Australia
Flora of Australia (series)
The Flora of Australia is a 59 volume series describing the vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens present in Australia and its external territories...
series.
Distribution and habitat
B. lullfitzii is known from a small number of scattered populations that occur north of EsperanceEsperance, Western Australia
Esperance is a large town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately east-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The shire of Esperance is home to 9,536 people as of the 2006 census, its major industries are tourism, agriculture,...
as far as Koolyanobbing
Koolyanobbing, Western Australia
Koolyanobbing is located 54 km NNE of the town of Southern Cross, Western Australia.Iron ore is mined here by a subsidiary of Cliffs Natural Resources of Cleveland, Ohio. Ore is railed to port at Esperance for export...
. These occur on deep yellow sands in heath or mallee-heath. Although not many populations are known, the species is not considered under threat, as the area has poor access and is very poorly surveyed, making it likely that the species is under-recorded. Also, a significant proportion of known populations occur in nature reserves such as the Boorabbin National Park
Boorabbin National Park
Boorabbin National Park is a national park in Western Australia, between Coolgardie and Southern Cross. It is located along the Great Eastern Highway for a distance of approximately 25 km with a width of 5 km on each side in Western Australia's eastern goldfields...
, and the area's low rainfall makes it unlikely that the unprotected land will be cleared for agriculture. B. lullfitzii has been declared "Priority Three - Poorly Known Taxa" under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950
Wildlife Conservation Act 1950
The Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 is an act of the Western Australian Parliament that provides the statute relating to conservation and legal protection of flora and fauna....
.