Banksia vincentia Stimpson & P.H.Weston APNI* Description: Lignotuberous shrub, c. twice as wide as it is high, 0.30–0.7 5m high, 1–2 m wide. Stems basally prostrate, divergent and ± horizontal in basal 20–30 cm, then ascending to erect more distally; stems under 12 months old densely covered in a 2-layered indumentum of tightly curled trichomes forming a felted layer c. 0.2 mm thick, overtopped by a much sparser layer of straight, antrorse to patent trichomes 0.2–1.3 mm long; stems older than 12 months gradually sheading trichomes until glabrescent after about 3–4 years; axillary buds prominent in in immature leaves.
Leaves narrowly oblong-obovate, rounded to truncate; petiole 1–3.5 mm long, moderately to densely covered in an indumentum resembling that of the stem, lamina 12–47 mm long, 2–6.5 mm wide, entire or with 1–6 marginal teeth.
Conflorescence surrounded by a whorl of 1–4 year old branches, 75–167 mm long developing basipetally; flowers divergent, with 14–17 columns of flower pairs. Involucral bracts subulate, with abaxial spine, thickened at base, villous, 1.5–3 mm long. Common bract with one thickened keel extending from apex to base of the exposed part of the bract, silky; margins distally convex; apex rounded. Perianth yellow or cream with a white to beige indumentum of appressed, straight trichomes, to orange with ferruginous indumentum; claw 19–25 mm; limb 2.5–4 mm long. Anthers 0.5–1 mm long. Style apically hooked, 26–35 mm long from ovary to bend, 5–7 mm long from bend to apex; discolorous, green for 12–16 mm above ovary, distally grading from red to maroon to black just prior to anthesis
Infructescence of similar length to conflorescences, 125–135 mm in circumference.
Flowering: Resting conflorescence buds start to expand in late December to early January. Conflorescences are fully developed by early April to May. Flowering continues until late June.
Distribution and occurrence: Restricted to a small area near Vincentia on the south coast of New South Wales. Banksia vincentia grows in sclerophyllous shrubland dominated by Allocasuarina littoralis, B. ericifolia, Hakea teretifolia with Persoonia mollis, Lambertia formosa, Isopogon anemonifolius, H. laevipes, Aotus ericoides, and species of Restionaceae and Cyperaceae, in sandy soil over clay on sandstone. Banksia vincentia grows within 0.1 km of populations of B. ericifolia, B. spinulosa and B. paludosa, although those species occur in different microhabitats.
NSW subdivisions: SC
Threatened species: NSW BCA: Critically Endangered; Commonwealth EPBC: Critically Endangered
Banksia vincentia is a lignotuberous shrub and presumably resprouts after fire. B. vincentiaproduces many conflorescences but very few infructescences. The plants of B. vincentia in the wild show signs of severe foliar herbivory, while specimens in cultivation from cuttings at UNE show no such signs.
Text by Margaret Stimpson, Jeremy Bruhl & Peter Weston
Taxon concept: Margaret L. Stimpson, Jeremy J. Bruhl & Peter H. Weston (2014) Could this be Australia’s rarest Banksia? Banksia vincentia (Proteaceae), a new species known from fourteen plants from south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Phytoxaxa 163 (5): 269–286.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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