Old Man Banksia

~ Banksia serrata ~

Wiriyagan in the Gadigal language

PROTEACEAE

Banksia serrata could be inconsequential for those focused solely on rushing through a coastal heath to meet their summer swim. For others, the Old Man Banksia ignites the creative spirit and causes one to stare – maybe a little too long – creating characters in every seed pod and marvelling at the textural life stages of the flower heads. Its resilience and reliance on fire is quite the stunning evolutionary story. Banksias can be seen ‘sucking up the flames of the fire’ as Victor Steffensen explains in Fire Country; their woody fruits (or cones) protect their seeds inside follicles that spring open when bathed with heat.

WHERE TO LOOK

The Old Man Banksia hugs the eastern coastline from north-west lutruwita (Tasmania) and Flinders Island, through Victoria and New South Wales and up to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. It will be found throughout coastal heaths, dunes and sandy forest in the close company of the Coastal Banksia (see p. 133) and the Paperbark (see p. 87). It can also be seen in the woodlands of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.

Locations → Queensland: Noosa National Park and South Stradbroke Island; NSW: Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Royal National Park, Awabakal Nature Reserve and Blue Mountains National Park; Victoria: Millers Landing Nature Walk in Wilsons Promontory National Park; Tasmania: Rocky Cape National Park.

FEATURES

The Old Man Banksia can be a large 10–15m woody shrub, single or multi-stemmed, or a low-lying 60cm shrub. It typically has rough bark and gnarled branches with marble-like ‘bubbles’ on old trunks. Its species name derives from its distinguishing leaves, which are serrated (or toothed), dark green, stiff and shiny, and measure 5–20cm. The iconic flowers are known as an inflorescence, made up of a few hundred tiny, densely packed flowers on a spike. Creamy-grey in colour, they measure 16cm tall and 10cm wide. Once pollinated, up to 30 seed follicles (looking like little mouths and eyes) will form and can be seen poking through the spent flowers. The follicles open and release the seed once the fruit has matured or has been stimulated by fire.

FLOWERING SEASON

Summer to winter → These long-lasting flowers can be seen almost year-round.

TRADITIONAL USES

The nectar of ripe Banksia flowers can be sucked from the flower heads or soaked to make a sweet drink. It has also been mixed with Wattle gum.

PLANTING

Some species of Banksias have serotinous cones sealed with waxes that need heat or fire to open. Unopened seed pods can be placed in an oven at 100°C for one hour or until follicles open. The seeds themselves do not need further treatment and can be sown into a sandy soil mix when the temperature is around 18–25°C. Germination should occur in 21 to 60 days with flowering occurring after four to six years.