Flora of Australia Online
Banksia ilicifolia R.Br., Trans. Linn. Soc. London 10: 211 (1810)
Sirmuellera ilicifolia (R.Br.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 582 (1891). T: King George Sound, [W.A.], Dec. 1801, R.Brown ; lecto: BM, fide A.S.George, Nuytsia 3: 455 (1981); isolecto: BM, K.
Banksia aquifolium Lindl., Sketch Veg. Swan R. xxxiv (1840). T: Swan R. colony, W.A., 183-, J.Drummond s.n. ; lecto: CGE, fide A.S.George, Nuytsia 3: 455 (1981).
Banksia ilicifolia var. integrifolia Benth., Fl. Austral. 5: 562 (1870). T: Swan R., W.A., 13 Apr. 1839, L.Preiss 482 ; lecto: MEL, fide A.S.George, Nuytsia 3: 455 (1981); isolecto: B, LD, MEL.
Tree to 10 m tall, fire tolerant. Bark thick, fibrous, fissured or tessellated, grey. Stems hirsute and tomentose, glabrescent. Leaves: petiole 3–10 mm long; lamina obovate-elliptic, undulate, truncate or obtuse, 3–10 cm long, mucronate; margins not recurved, serrate or sometimes entire; both surfaces hirsute-tomentose, glabrescent, shining except pits in lower surface. Inflorescence 7–9 cm wide, with 60–100 flowers; involucral bracts short, tomentose, persistent. Flowers cream and pink becoming dull red; style cream with green pollen presenter. Perianth 32–40 mm long including limb of 2.5–4 mm, shortly pubescent outside, glabrous inside; limb glabrous. Pistil straight, 27–35 mm long, glabrous except a few hairs above ovary; pollen presenter scarcely thickened, 1–1.5 mm long. Old flowers soon falling. Follicles 1–3, ovate, curved, 14–20 mm long, 13–24 mm high, 10–16 mm wide, smooth, tomentose. Seed transversely elliptic, oblique; seed body elliptic, often irregular, 5–7 mm high, 9–12 mm wide, rugose inside, smooth outside. Fig. 36C, D.
Occurs within 70 km of the coast of W.A. from Mt Lesueur to Cape Leeuwin and east to Albany and the Stirling Ra. In deep white or grey sand on consolidated dunes and low-lying flats, in woodland; near the south coast sometimes in tall shrubland. Flowers mainly from late winter to early summer, but along the south coast in most months. Map 265.
W.A.: South Perth, A.S.George 15779 (PERTH); Margaret R., Oct. 1909, J.H.Maiden (NSW); near Gingin, M.E.Phillips CBG012382 (CANB, NSW); c. 6 km E of Nornalup, 5 Sept. 1947, J.H.Willis (MEL).
Fire-tolerant, sprouts by epicormic shoots following fire. Near the south coast plants are usually of lower, spreading habit than those farther north. Larger in leaves, inflorescences and flowers than the following two species.