Banksia repens
Encyclopedia
Banksia repens, the Creeping Banksia, is a species of shrub in the plant
genus
Banksia
. It occurs on the south coast of Western Australia
from D'Entrecasteaux National Park
in the west to Mount Ragged in the east.
Seeds do not require any treatment, and take 29 to 56 days to germinate.
It is lignotuberous, and resprouts after fire.
from the vicinity of present day Esperance, Western Australia
on 16 December 1792. Labillardière was botanist to an expedition under Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
, which anchored in Esperance Bay
on 9 December. On 14 December, the zoologist Claude Riche
went ashore, and failed to return. A search the following day proved unsuccessful. Several senior members of the expedition were convinced that Riche must have perished of thirst or at the hands of the Australian Aborigines, and counselled d'Entrecasteaux to sail without him. However Labillardière convinced d'Entrecasteaux to search for another day, and was rewarded not only with the recovery of Riche, but also with the collection of several highly significant botanical specimens, including the first specimens of Anigozanthos
(Kangaroo Paw), Nuytsia floribunda (West Australian Christmas Tree), Banksia nivea
(Honeypot Dryandra) and B. repens.
Labillardière published a formal description of B. repens in his 1800 Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse
; this was accompanied by an illustration by Pierre-Joseph Redouté
.
Robert Brown
was familiar with Labillardière's work when he arrived in Australia on the HMS Investigator
under Matthew Flinders
in late 1801. His diary suggests that he collected B. repens from King George Sound
, which would be interesting considering that it does not occur there today. His entry for 13 December 1801 refers to having observed in fruit a plant the name of which is illegible. The editors of Brown's diary suggest that the word "looks like bankarepen, which might appear to hint at Banksia repens." On 28 December, Brown records packing plants into boxes, including "the interesting Banksia repens of wch I took care to h[av]e several excellnt plants." The editors of Brown's diary also claim to have located in the British Museum (Natural History) specimens of B. repens collected by Brown at King George Sound, but the Robert Brown's Australian Botanical Specimens, 1801–1805 at the BM online database, maintained by the Western Australian Herbarium
, list only specimens collected by Brown further east at Lucky Bay
.
It is one of six closely related species in section Banksia ser. Prostratae
, all endemic to Western Australia
, and all with a prostrate habit. George holds it as closely related to B. blechnifolia and B. chamaephyton.
The placement of B. repens in George's 1999 arrangement
may be summarised as follows: Its specific name is the Latin
participle repens "creeping", as its common name of creeping banksia.
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...
. It occurs on the south 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...
from D'Entrecasteaux National Park
D'Entrecasteaux National Park
D'Entrecasteaux National Park is a national park in Western Australia , south of Perth. The park is named after the French Admiral Bruni D'Entrecasteaux who was the first European to sight the area and name Point D'Entrecasteaux in 1792....
in the west to Mount Ragged in the east.
Seeds do not require any treatment, and take 29 to 56 days to germinate.
Description
Banksia repens is a prostrate shrub with horizontal stems covered in a fine velvety fur which spread underground. The large leathery upright leaves arise vertically on petioles 5–15 cm (2-6 in) high. They are 18 to 40 cm (7-16 in) in length and 18 cm (7 in) wide. They are intricately lobed with smaller lobes. Appearing from October to November, the cylindrical inflorescences arise well beyond the leaves and are variable shades of orange, tan and pinkish shades in overall colour and range from 6 to 10 cm (2.4–4 in) high. As the flower spikes age, they fade to a greyish colour, the old flowers persisting.It is lignotuberous, and resprouts after fire.
Distribution and habitat
It occurs in sandy soils from Cranbrook to Israelite Bay, on the Western Australian south coast.Taxonomy
Specimens of B. repens were first collected by Jacques LabillardièreJacques Labillardière
Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière was a French naturalist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition...
from the vicinity of present day Esperance, Western Australia
Esperance, 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,...
on 16 December 1792. Labillardière was botanist to an expedition under Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni d'Entrecasteaux was a French navigator who explored the Australian coast in 1792 while seeking traces of the lost expedition of La Pérouse....
, which anchored in Esperance Bay
Esperance Bay
Esperance Bay is a bay on the south coast of Western Australia. Nominally located at , it is the site of the town of Esperance.The bay was discovered on 9 December 1792 by a French expedition under Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, which sailed in search of the lost expedition of Jean-François de Galaup,...
on 9 December. On 14 December, the zoologist Claude Riche
Claude Riche
Claude-Antoine-Gaspard Riche was a naturalist on Bruni d'Entrecasteaux's 1791 expedition in search of the lost ships of Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse.Cape Riche, on the south coast of Australia, is named in his honour.-Early Life:...
went ashore, and failed to return. A search the following day proved unsuccessful. Several senior members of the expedition were convinced that Riche must have perished of thirst or at the hands of the Australian Aborigines, and counselled d'Entrecasteaux to sail without him. However Labillardière convinced d'Entrecasteaux to search for another day, and was rewarded not only with the recovery of Riche, but also with the collection of several highly significant botanical specimens, including the first specimens of Anigozanthos
Anigozanthos
Anigozanthos is a small genus of Australian plants in the Bloodwort family Haemodoraceae. The 11 species and several subspecies are commonly known as kangaroo paw and catspaw depending on the shape of their flowers...
(Kangaroo Paw), Nuytsia floribunda (West Australian Christmas Tree), Banksia nivea
Banksia nivea
Banksia nivea, commonly known as Honeypot Dryandra, is a shrub endemic to Western Australia. First described as Banksia nivea, it was transferred to Dryandra as Dryandra nivea by Robert Brown in 1810, and remained in that genus until 2007, when all Dryandra species were transferred to Banksia by...
(Honeypot Dryandra) and B. repens.
Labillardière published a formal description of B. repens in his 1800 Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse
Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse
Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse is a book , issued in 1800, that gives an account of the 1791-1793 d'Entrecasteaux expedition to Australasia. The title refers to the search for La Pérouse, who disappeared in the region in 1788, a popular, though unsuccessful, object of the mission...
; this was accompanied by an illustration by Pierre-Joseph Redouté
Pierre-Joseph Redouté
Pierre-Joseph Redouté , was a Belgian painter and botanist, known for his watercolours of roses, lilies and other flowers at Malmaison. He was nicknamed "The Raphael of flowers"....
.
Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
was familiar with Labillardière's work when he arrived in Australia on the HMS Investigator
HMS Investigator
Nine ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Investigator. Another was planned, but renamed before being launched: was a 22-gun armed ship purchased in 1798 and taken into service as HMS Xenophon. She was renamed HMS Investigator in 1801 and used as a survey ship. Under the command of...
under Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
in late 1801. His diary suggests that he collected B. repens from King George Sound
King George Sound
King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....
, which would be interesting considering that it does not occur there today. His entry for 13 December 1801 refers to having observed in fruit a plant the name of which is illegible. The editors of Brown's diary suggest that the word "looks like bankarepen, which might appear to hint at Banksia repens." On 28 December, Brown records packing plants into boxes, including "the interesting Banksia repens of wch I took care to h[av]e several excellnt plants." The editors of Brown's diary also claim to have located in the British Museum (Natural History) specimens of B. repens collected by Brown at King George Sound, but the Robert Brown's Australian Botanical Specimens, 1801–1805 at the BM online database, maintained by the Western Australian Herbarium
Western Australian Herbarium
The Western Australian Herbarium is the State Herbarium in Perth, Western Australia, Western Australia. It is part of the State government's Department of Environment and Conservation, and has responsibility for the description and documentation of the flora of Western Australia.The Herbarium is...
, list only specimens collected by Brown further east at Lucky Bay
Lucky Bay
Lucky Bay is a bay located at on the south coast of Western Australia.It received its name from Matthew Flinders, who discovered it in January 1802. Flinders had sailed into the hazardous Archipelago of the Recherche, and found his ship surrounded by islands and rocks with nightfall coming on:...
.
It is one of six closely related species in section Banksia ser. Prostratae
Banksia ser. Prostratae
Banksia ser. Prostratae is a taxonomic series in the genus Banksia. It consists of six closely related species in section Banksia, all endemic to Western Australia, with a prostrate habit.Banksia ser...
, all endemic to 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...
, and all with a prostrate habit. George holds it as closely related to B. blechnifolia and B. chamaephyton.
The placement of B. repens in George's 1999 arrangement
George's taxonomic arrangement of Banksia
Alex George's taxonomic arrangement of Banksia was the first modern-day arrangement for that genus. First published in 1981 in the classic monograph The genus Banksia L.f. , it superseded the arrangement of George Bentham, which had stood for over a hundred years. It was overturned in 1996 by Kevin...
may be summarised as follows: Its specific name is the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
participle repens "creeping", as its common name of creeping banksia.
- BanksiaBanksiaBanksia 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...
- B. subg. BanksiaBanksia subg. BanksiaBanksia 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...
- B. sect. BanksiaBanksia sect. BanksiaBanksia 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...
- B. ser. SalicinaeBanksia ser. SalicinaeBanksia ser. Salicinae is a valid botanic name for a series of Banksia. First published by Carl Meissner in 1856, the name has had three circumscriptions.-According to Meissner:...
(11 species, 7 subspecies) - B. ser. GrandesBanksia ser. GrandesBanksia ser. Grandes is a taxonomic series in the genus Banksia. It consists of two closely related species in section Banksia, both endemic to Western Australia. These are B. grandis and B. solandri ....
(2 species) - B. ser. BanksiaBanksia ser. BanksiaBanksia ser. Banksia is avalid botanic name for a series of Banksia. As an autonym, it necessarily contains the type species of Banksia, B. serrata . Within this constraint, however, there have been various circumscriptions.-According to Bentham:Banksia ser. Banksia originated in 1870 as...
(8 species) - B. ser. CrocinaeBanksia ser. CrocinaeBanksia ser. Crocinae is a taxonomic series in the genus Banksia. It consists of four closely related species, all of which are endemic to Western Australia; namely B. prionotes , B. burdettii , B. hookeriana and B. victoriae...
- B. ser. ProstrataeBanksia ser. ProstrataeBanksia ser. Prostratae is a taxonomic series in the genus Banksia. It consists of six closely related species in section Banksia, all endemic to Western Australia, with a prostrate habit.Banksia ser...
(6 species, 3 varieties)- B. goodiiBanksia goodiiBanksia goodii, commonly known as Good's Banksia, is an endangered shrub of Southwest Western Australia.Good's Banksia grows as a low shrub, either prostrate or with stems up to twenty centimetres high. The leaves are dark green with a prominent yellow midrib, and are held erect. They may be up...
- B. gardneriBanksia gardneriThe Prostrate Banksia is a species of prostrate shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs along the south coast of Western Australia.-Scientific name:...
- B. gardneri var. gardneriBanksia gardneri var. gardneriBanksia gardneri var. gardneri is a variety of Banksia gardneri. As an autonym, it is defined as encompassing the type material of the species. It is native to the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia....
- B. gardneri var. brevidentataBanksia gardneri var. brevidentataBanksia gardneri var. brevidentata is a variety of Banksia gardneri. It is native to the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia....
- B. gardneri var. hiemalisBanksia gardneri var. hiemalisBanksia gardneri var. hiemalis is a variety of Banksia gardneri. It is native to the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia. Seeds do not require any treatment, and take around 19 days to germinate....
- B. gardneri var. gardneri
- B. chamaephytonBanksia chamaephytonThe Fishbone Banksia is a species of prostrate shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs in sandplain country amongst low heath north of Perth, Western Australia.....
- B. repens
- B. blechnifoliaBanksia blechnifoliaBanksia blechnifolia is a species of prostrate shrub in the plant genus Banksia. Found in sandy soils in the south coastal region of Western Australia in the vicinity of Lake King, it is non-lignotuberous, regenerating by seed after bushfire...
- B. petiolarisBanksia petiolarisBanksia petiolaris is a species of shrub of the genus Banksia in the Proteaceae family. It is a prostrate banksia, a group of several closely related species all with horizontal stems and thick, leathery upright leaves. No varieties have been subsequently described. It bears yellow inflorescences...
- B. goodii
- B. ser. CyrtostylisBanksia ser. CyrtostylisBanksia 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....
(13 species) - B. ser. TetragonaeBanksia ser. TetragonaeBanksia ser. Tetragonae is a taxonomic series in the genus Banksia. It consists of three closely related species of erect shrub with pendulous inflorescences in section Banksia. These are B. lemanniana , B. caleyi and B. aculeata ....
(3 species) - B. ser. Bauerinae (1 species)
- B. ser. QuercinaeBanksia ser. QuercinaeBanksia ser. Quercinae is avalid botanic name for a series of Banksia. First published by Carl Meissner in 1856, the name has had three circumscriptions.-According to Meissner:...
(2 species)
- B. ser. Salicinae
- B. sect. Coccinea (1 species)
- B. sect. OncostylisBanksia sect. OncostylisBanksia sect. Oncostylis is one of four sections of subgenus Banksia subg. Banksia. It contains those Banksia species with hooked pistils. All of the species in Oncostylis also exhibit a top-down sequence of flower anthesis, except for Banksia nutans which is bottom-up.Banksia sect...
(4 series, 22 species, 4 subspecies, 11 varieties)
- B. sect. Banksia
- B. subg. IsostylisBanksia subg. IsostylisBanksia subg. Isostylis is a subgenus of Banksia. It contains three closely related species, all of which occur only in Southwest Western Australia. Members of subgenus Isostylis have dome-shaped flower heads that are superficially similar to those of B. ser...
(3 species)
- B. subg. Banksia