shrubby clusters. Common name Botanical name Comments Among the most popular species is B. ashbyi, says Pam, a soft apricot-orange cylin - fresh focus der with a fragrance that has been compared Acorn banksia Banksia prionotes 6-to-8-inch spikes have bright orange By Bill McKinley AIFD and Bruce Wright ‘Orange Frost’ open flowers at the base contrasting to buttered popcorn. Another is B. integrifolia, with white unopened flowers at a.k.a. “white honeysuckle” banksia, accord - the top. 4-to-6-inch leaves have

F a saw-blade-shaped edge. ing to Diana at Resendiz Brothers. (Like other A R

L Proteaceae, banksias are rich in nectar, at - E F

Bright and fuzzy, T ,

T tracting a range of pollinators from birds and O Ashby banksia Banksia ashbyi 8-to-10-inch heads are typically P

R bats to “honey opossums”). Integrifolia sports

I bright yellow or yellow-orange banksias call out G H

T in color. 3-to-5-inch leaves have

: silvery-green blooms that later develop into

N

E a saw-blade edge. O beautiful brown seedpods, available as a T to be noticed— R O

P dried material. For lime-green spikes on extra- I C and touched. A Banksia pods Banksia integrifolia Cone-like seed pods range in long stems, ask for B. speciosa (the name size from 3 to 5 inches in length. means “showy banksia”), sometimes called ‘Mint Julep’. Bird’s nest banksia Banksia baxteri 3-to-4-inch heads are varying If you’re looking for something different, shades of green to yellowish green.

C don’t neglect the varied genus Banksia . With

E 3-to-4-inch leaves have a N T

E saw-blade edge. so many choices, there is bound to be a R

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O banksia that’s a perfect match for you—and P ,

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E for your discriminating clientele. b N Scarlet banksia Banksia coccinea 2.5-to-3.5-inch heads are orange T E

R or red-orange in color. 1-to-3-inch

B

O leaves are short and have large T T

O sharp lobes. M ,

B O T T O

M Showy banksia Banksia speciosa 3-to-5-inch heads are yellow or

tips R

I car e G creamy yellow in color. 4-to-7-inch H T ,

leaves have a saw-blade edge. C E N T

E banksia R

R I G • Remove 1-2 inches of the stem end H T

: “Colors range from silvery green through bril -

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E All in the family and place in a tepid floral food solu - s

E liant gold, yellows and orange to violet and N

d tion. Condition in a well-lighted area I z deep red shades,” says Diana—and Re - We would probably see an even greater vari -

B R

O sendiz Brothers also offers tinted banksias in ety of banksias on the market were it not that at room temperature for 1-2 hours. T H E

R brilliant, solid red, orange and purple. banksias are difficult to propagate from cut - • Banksias are not tropical flowers. s One of the fascinating features of banksias tings. Most species must be grown from seed, Therefore, they do benefit from stor - is the foliage, which varies from small leaves posing a challenge to breeders and also to IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Proteus was a sea- today are known as banksia proteas, or sim - as they open, they reflex to reveal the colorful age in a floral refrigerator—ideally at god capable of assuming many different ply banksias. orange style within. like pine needles or heather to large, leathery adventurous growers, since it takes a long 40 degrees F and 85% humidity. forms. He has given his name to a family of Like other proteas, flowers in the genus In nature, some banksias spread along the blades with deeply serrated teeth. Sometimes time to find out whether any new seeds • To prevent black leaf spots and woody-stemmed plants bearing flowers of Banksia offer not only striking form and texture ground, while others grow tall like trees, ac - the foliage may be purchased separately from you’ve planted will thrive and produce a mar - many different and unusual shapes: the Pro - but long vase life—typically from seven to 14 cording to Diana Roy at Resendiz Brothers the flowers. ketable flower. blackened leaf tips, keep banksia in teaceae. Members of this family are distrib - days and ranging up to 21 days with proper (www.resendizbrothers.com ), a southern Banksias are still harvested from the Aus - Still, producers have managed to intro - a well-lighted area in the cooler, uted throughout the Southern hemisphere. The care. Each tightly packed inflorescence is ac - California grower. Banksia flowers range in tralian bush as they have been for many duce some novelties over the years. Pam always use floral food, and keep best-known genus, Protea, hails from south - tually made up of hundreds or even thou - size from four to as long as twelve inches. years. Some species are also farm-grown in Shingaki, a technician at the University of away from high temperatures. ern Africa, as do its relatives in the genera sands of small individual flowers attached to Australia, California, Israel, and Hawaii. The Hawaii College of Tropical, Agriculture and Decaying leaves in the buckets may Leucospermum (pincushion proteas) and a central axis. (Most banksias are cylindrical; Clockwise from above far left: Banksia Hawaiian climate might seem very different Human Resources in Kula, cites B. menziesii also lead to black leaf spots. Leucodendron . bird’s-nest banksias have a rounder shape.) ashbyi, B. coccinea, B. integrifolia, B. pri - from Australia, but it does include cool, dry ‘Raspberry Frost’, a striking bicolor in pink But there’s an Australian branch of the The tiny tubular flowers typically open over a onotes, B. speciosa, and B. dryandra . The microclimates well suited to growing and orange, noted also for its long stems. • Banksia are easily dried by hang - family as well. It’s named after the botanist period of days—a process that can result in a photos at far left and top right are courtesy banksias. “The color varies a lot,” she notes; “some - ing them upside-down in a low- Joseph Banks, who took part in the legendary dramatic change sweeping up or down the of Neotropica, a guide to tropical flowers One type of banksia or another will be times it’s more raspberry, other times more humidity and low-light area. The first voyage of the explorer James Cook flower head. Acorn banksia, for example and plants from Hawaii. To learn more, visit available at any time of year. Still, banksias— pastel pink and yellowish,” depending in part large flowers may take 3-4 weeks to www.design358.com . Remaining photos unlike other wildflowers from southern Aus - on the season and the flower’s stage of de - (1768-71) to the eastern coast of Australia. (Banksia prionotes), is usually fluffy orange completely dry. Banks collected specimens of plants with at the bottom of the inflorescence, white at the are courtesy of Resendiz Brothers, tralia—are most abundant in summer, velopment. Banksia “candles” are another in - large, spiky, bottlebrush-type flowers that top. The white flowers are closed pollen sacs; www.resendizbrothers.com . autumn and winter. novation, with long, red-gold flowers in

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