Banksia lepidorhiza is a species of prostrate shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has underground stems, linear pinnatipartite leaves with sharply pointed lobes, pink, cream-coloured and yellow flowers in head of about thirty and egg-shaped follicles. It is only known from near Woodanilling.
| Banksia lepidorhiza | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Banksia |
| Subgenus: | Banksia subg. Banksia |
| Series: | Banksia ser. Dryandra |
| Species: | B. lepidorhiza
|
| Binomial name | |
| Banksia lepidorhiza | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Dryandra lepidorhiza A.S.George | |
Description
editBanksia lepidorhiza is a prostrate shrub that typically grows to a width of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) with underground stems and a lignotuber. It has dull green, pinnatipartite leaves with between fifteen and twenty-five linear, sharply pointed lobes on each side. The flowers are arranged in heads of between twenty-five and thirty with narrow lance-shaped, involucral bracts 9–10 mm (0.35–0.39 in) long at the base of the head. The flowers have a deep pink perianth 32–34 mm (1.3–1.3 in) long and a cream-coloured and dull yellow pistil 31–33 mm (1.2–1.3 in) long. Flowering occurs from October to November and the follicles are broadly egg-shaped, 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long and glabrous.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming
editThis species was first formally described in 1996 by Alex George who gave it the name Dryandra lepidorhiza and published the description in the journal Nuytsia from a specimen he collected west of Woodanilling in 1986.[4][5] The specific epithet (lepidorhiza) is from the ancient Greek words lepis (λεπίς), meaning 'scale', and rhiza (ῥίζα), meaning 'root', referring to the underground stems that are covered with scale-like bracts.[4]
In 2007 Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele transferred all dryandras to the genus Banksia and renamed this species Banksia lepidorhiza.[6][7]
Distribution and habitat
editBanksia lepidorhiza is only known from the type location where it grows in low kwongan in the Avon Wheatbelt biogeographic region.[2][4]
Conservation status
editThis banksia is classified as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife,[2] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b "Banksia lepidorhiza". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ a b c "Banksia lepidorhiza". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ George, Alex S. (1999). Flora of Australia (PDF). Vol. 17B. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. p. 316. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d George, Alex (1996). "New taxa and a new infrageneric classification in Dryandra R.Br. (Proteaceae : Grevilleoideae)". Nuytsia. 10 (3): 374–375. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ "Dryandra lepidorhiza". APNI. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Mast, Austin R.; Thiele, Kevin (2007). "The transfer of Dryandra R.Br. to Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae)". Australian Systematic Botany. 20 (1): 63–71. doi:10.1071/SB06016.
- ^ "Banksia lepidorhiza". APNI. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 11 May 2020.