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Swamp Banksia
Banksia robur
-27.4491, 153.101
Field Notes
Description:
I love banksias - I just can't help myself. They are one of my favourite variety of Australian native plants. I particularly love the transformation of the flowers as they change from beautiful blooms to naked cones. The main photo looks like little chicks in the nest, beaks wide open waiting to be fed. The links provide some good information on this banksia species.
Habitat:
Swamp Banksia is found in suitable habitats along the east coast of Australia from north east Queensland to the Illawarra region of New South Wales. It grows on sandy soils in swamps and seasonally boggy land.
Notes:
Like other banksias, B. robur plays host to a wide range of pollinators, including insects such as butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, ants and jewel beetles, and many bird species, including many varieties of honeyeater. I will add that these shrubs thrive on neglect. They are very drought tolerant, and at this location the only water they ever get is when it rains, which is not much at present. Still, they look pretty hardy. On a totally different note, an Australian author, May Gibbs, wrote a series of children's books called Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, the first book in the series published in 1918. Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, the gumnut babies, are the protagonists of the story and are modelled on the appearance of young Eucalyptus (gum tree) nuts. The villains are the Banksia Men which are modelled on the appearance of aged Banksia 'cones', with follicles for eyes and other facial features. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snugglepot_and_Cuddlepie
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