Banksia meganotia is a species of prickly shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has linear, pinnatiparite leaves with sharply-pointed lobes, yellow flowers in heads of about forty and relatively small follicles.
| Banksia meganotia | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Banksia |
| Subgenus: | Banksia subg. Banksia |
| Series: | Banksia ser. Dryandra |
| Species: | B. meganotia
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| Binomial name | |
| Banksia meganotia | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description edit
Banksia meganotia is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.3–1 m (1 ft 0 in – 3 ft 3 in) and forms a lignotuber. It has linear, pinnatipartite leaves that are 30–70 mm (1.2–2.8 in) long and 10–25 mm (0.39–0.98 in) wide on a petiole 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long with between six and ten sharply-pointer, linear lobes on each side. The flowers are yellow and arranged in a head with egg-shaped to lance-shaped involucral bracts 17–20 mm (0.67–0.79 in) long at the base of the head. The flowers have a perianth 22–23 mm (0.87–0.91 in) long and a hairy pistil 26–30 mm (1.0–1.2 in) long. Flowering occurs in October and the follicles that follow flowering are about 5 mm (0.20 in) long.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming edit
This species was first formally described in 1996 by Alex George in the journal Nuytsia from specimens he collected in the Dongolocking Nature Reserve, and was given the name Dryandra meganotia.[4][5] In 2007, Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele transferred all the dryandras to the genus Banksia and this species became Banksia meganotia.[6][7] The specific epithet (meganotia) is from ancient Greek words meaning "large" and "southern" referring to the Great Southern region of Western Australia, where this species occurs.[4]
Distribution and habitat edit
Banksia meganotia mainly grows in kwongan between Kulin and Nyabing in the Avon Wheatbelt and Mallee biogeographic regions.[3]
Ecology edit
An assessment of the potential impact of climate change on this species found that it was likely to be driven to extinction by loss of habitat by 2080, even under mild climate change scenarios.[8]
Conservation status edit
This banksia is classified as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife[2] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.[9]
References edit
- ^ a b "Banksia meganotia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Banksia meganotia". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ a b George, Alex S. (1999). Flora of Australia (PDF). Vol. 17B. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. p. 291. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ a b c George, Alex (1996). "New taxa and a new infrageneric classification in Dryandra R.Br. (Proteaceae : Grevilleoideae)". Nuytsia. 10 (3): 351. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "Dryandra meganotia". APNI. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "Banksia meganotia". APNI. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Mast, Austin R.; Thiele, Kevin (2013). "The transfer of Dryandra R.Br. to Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae)". Australian Systematic Botany. 20 (1): 63–71. doi:10.1071/SB06016.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Matthew C.; Gove, Aaron D.; Sanders, Nathan J.; Dunn, Robert R. (2008). "Climate change, plant migration, and range collapse in a global biodiversity hotspot: the Banksia (Proteaceae) of Western Australia". Global Change Biology. 14 (6): 1–16. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01559.x.
- ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 13 May 2020.