The Swamp Banksia, Banksia Robur, Was the Fourth Banksia Collected by Joseph Banks in Botany Bay in 1770
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The Swamp Banksia, Banksia robur, was the fourth Banksia collected by Joseph Banks in Botany Bay in 1770. We tend to think that Banksias need well-drained sandy soils but this is an exception. It is a tough, woody shrub with large leathery leaves and usually grows in permanently wet sites in sandy swamps and heath lands on sandstone plateaus and ridges along the east coast of Australia. In fact, unlike most Banksia species, when grown as a garden plant, the Swamp Banksia is particularly sensitive to dry conditions and needs watering to survive extreme drought. The plants have lignotubers: dense, woody, underground structures with the potential to regenerate after fire. Apart from an isolated population near Cooktown in far N Queensland, the Swamp Banksia can be found from Gladstone in Queensland to Wollongong in New South Wales. In recent times, it has been used as an under stock for less hardy species of Banksia. Like most other Banksias, it is an important nectar source for insects, birds and mammals. The other three Banksia species (B. serrata, B. integrifolia, B. ericifolia) collected by Banks in Botany Bay were described by Carolus Linnaeus the Younger in 1782 but it was not until 1800 that Banksia robur was described by Antonio José Cavanilles from a specimen collected in 1793 by Luis Née, a Franco-Spanish botanist who accompanied Alessandro Malaspina on the scientific expedition to the Pacific, including Australia, Tonga and New Zealand. Hybrids between Banskia robur and Banksia oblongifolia occur in areas where both species occur naturally The thick, woody fruits of Banksias are referred to as serotinous, a condition where an environmental trigger is required before seed is released. In the case of Banksia, the trigger is fire Australian Native Plants Society (Australia): http://anpsa.org.au/b-rob.html Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_robur Map modified from Australian Native Plants Society (Australia): http://anpsa.org.au/b-rob.html Kevin Downing and Brian Atwell, August 2015, Department of Biological Sciences .