About

Banksia saxicola, the rock banksia or Grampians banksia, is a species of tree or shrub in the family Proteaceae. It occurs in Victoria in two distinct populations, one in The Grampians and the other on Wilsons Promontory. Formerly considered to be a form of B. integrifolia, it was described as a distinct species by Alex George in 1981. It is most closely related to Banksia marginata.

Near the coast, B. saxicola grows as a tree to 13 m (43 ft) high, while in alpine areas it is a shrub that grows up to 5 m (16 ft) high, or 2 m (6.6 ft) in exposed areas. It has leathery green leaves and grey-yellow inflorescences (flower spikes) which appear in summer and early autumn. The old flowers fall off the spikes, followed by the development of finely furred follicles.

How to grow it

Banksia saxicola adapts readily to cultivation, particularly in cooler climates, and has been grown outside in the United Kingdom, Tasmania and at Lees in the Netherlands. Its attractive foliage and furry follicles (which can look as if snowed on) are its horticultural features. It flowers in 3 to 4 years from seed.

Where it grows

In The Grampians, Banksia saxicola grows on exposed summits and slopes as well as gullies in scrub or woodland on a loamy soil, generally among sandstone boulders, with such species as brown stringybark (Eucalyptus baxteri). Plants have been recorded on Mt William, Major Mitchell Plateau, Mt Lubra, Mt Rosea, Mt Difficult, Stony Peak, Mt Thackeray and Chimney Pots Gap. The northernmost populations are on the margins of Mt Difficult Plateau, 9 km southeast of Wartook. It is found at altitudes above 600 m (2,000 ft). It is found in taller forest at altitudes of 200 to 300 m (700 to 1,000 ft) at Wilsons Promontory.

Other Banksia plants

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