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Banksia oligantha
Banksia oligantha, commonly known as Wagin banksia, is an endangered species in the plant family Proteaceae endemic to south west Western Australia. It belongs to Banksia subg. Isostylis, a subgenus of three closely related Banksia species with dome-shaped heads as inflorescences, rather than characteristic Banksia flower spikes. A shrub or small tree up to 4 m (13 ft) high, it has prickly foliage and pink and cream flowerheads which appear in late Spring (October to December).
First collected in 1984 near the wheatbelt town of Wagin, Banksia oligantha was officially described in 1987 by Australian botanist Alex George. Several scattered populations survive in fragments of remnant bushland in a region which has been mostly cleared for agriculture. It has been listed as Declared Rare Flora by the Western Australian Government.
Banksia oligantha is rarely seen in cultivation, though it is said to merit more consideration than it receives. It is a fast-growing plant that flowers prolifically, producing "lovely masses of matchstick-like cream flowers". However, its prickly foliage makes it unsuitable for growth near paths, it is prone to lose branches in strong wind, and it is often attacked by woodboring beetles.
Propagation is by seed, but these are hard to obtain. Seeds do not require any treatment before sowing, and take 37 to 40 days to germinate. Propagation by cutting has not been attempted, but might be possible, since the closely related B. cuneata has been propagated this way, albeit with unpredictable results. The plant should be grown in deep, acidic to neutral sand at a sheltered site. It is recommended to prune it when young, to encourage branching.
Banksia oligantha occurs over a range of about 100 kilometres (62 miles) in southern parts of the Avon Wheatbelt region of the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia. Four populations are known, containing about 1,700 adult plants in total:
Banksia acanthopoda · Prickly Banksia · Banksia acuminata · Wallum Banksia · Banksia alliacea · Cactus Dryandra · Northern Banksia · Yilgarn Dryandra · Banksia archaeocarpa · Banksia arctotidis · Banksia armata var. armata · Banksia armata var. ignicida
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Banksia oligantha by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
