Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority

Common name: Ashby’s banksia

Family: PROTEACEAE

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Origin of Scientific Name

Banksia - After Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820), famous English botanist and naturalist with a prolific list of botanical discoveries credited to him.

ashbyi – after Edwin Ashby (1861-1941) of Blackwood, South Australia, botanist and cultivator of Australian plants. He collected the type specimen used to describe the species, from east of Geraldton.

Description

Banksia ashbyi has the northernmost distribution of any Western Australian banksia. In the northern part of its range (Shark Bay north to Exmouth), it is a lignotuberous shrub to 2 m tall (i.e. it has a lignotuber and is therefore fire-tolerant). In its southern range (Shark Bay south to Moora), it is a non-lignotuberous (and therefore not fire-tolerant) shrub or small tree to 8 m tall.

Ashby’s banksia produces large bright orange flowers from February to December making it an excellent plant for attracting nectar-feeding birds into your garden, and a great banksia for cut flowers.

Horticultural tips

Grows best in a dry summer climate, and requires well-drained, preferably sandy soils and full sun to light shade.
It prefers organic mulch, is very sensitive to phosphates, but responds well to light application of slow-release, low-phosphate fertilisers specifically designed for Australian native plants.
Banksias respond well to light pruning after flowering.

For more horticultural tips view our Plant Notes section.

View in Kings Park

Visit Kings Park and Botanic Garden to see the Banksia ashbyi on the eastern side of the Banksia Garden and in Roe Gardens just south-east of Roe Carpark (refer to map).