Banksia is a genus with 80 species in the Protea family. All species occur in Australia with one, Banskia dentata extending to the islands north of Australia. Banksias can be found in most environments – the tropics, sub-alpine areas, the coast and desert areas. The most diversity in the genus occurs in the south of Western Australia where over 80% of the species occur.

Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander collected the first botanical specimens of Banksias at Botany Bay in 1770. The Sydney Banksias flower in March to April so they were flowering when the Endeavour was here. The Banksia was a very exciting plant to these botanists as it proved the long-speculated link between conifers and flowering plants.

Banksia flowers are quite small but they occur in dense clusters of up to 1000 individual flowers. The flowers are followed by large woody seed ‘cones’ in which the seeds are contained in closed follicles. In most cases the follicles remain closed until stimulated to open by heat such as that following a bush fire. The seeds have a papery wing which allows them to be distributed by wind.

Most Banksias are medium shrubs, some are prostrate plants and a few can become large trees. Those species native to areas where bush fires occur regularly have a lignotuber, a woody swelling at or below ground level from which the plant can regenerate if the stems above the ground are destroyed.

There are four Banksia species in Fred Caterson Reserve: