Банксія

Banksia belongs to the family Proteaceae, subfamily Grevilleoideae and tribe Banksieae. Banksias range in size from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up to 30 metres (100 ft) tall. The flower spike, an elongated inflorescence with a woody axis covered in tightly packed pairs of flowers, is the feature most often linked with the genus. One spike generally holds hundreds or even thousands of flowers, and the most recorded is around 6000, on B. grandis.

Banksias are heavy producers of nectar and an important food source for nectarivorous animals, including honeyeaters and small mammals such as rodents, honey possums and bats. Various studies have shown mammals and birds to be important pollinators.

All but one of the living Banksia species are endemic to Australia. The exception is B. dentata, which occurs throughout northern Australia and on islands to the north, including New Guinea and the Aru Islands. Over 90% of all Banksia species occur only in southwest Western Australia, the main centre of biodiversity.

A doctoral study of eastern Australian banksia flowers detected differences in volatile components, consistent with differences in odour, among three species and one commercial cultivar. Variation was also observed between two known subspecies of Banksia ericifolia.

Banksias are popular garden plants in Australia because of their large, showy flower heads and the large amounts of nectar they produce, which attract birds and small mammals. They are also of economic importance to Australia's nursery and cut flower industries.

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