Another day, another lovely banksia, this time the coast banksia, or Banksia integrifolia. This delightful tree is a member of the Proteaceae family that hails from the east coat of Australia, from Victoria in the south to Queensland in the north. As the common name suggests, the coast banksia is common along the coast, but does extend inland to the ranges.

It’s a tree that can reach between five and twenty-five metres in height, with the final height of the tree varying due to exposure in its habitat. The native habitat of the coast banksia is scrub and forest along the coast, including in tube successions that appear on headlands and along estuaries. As always, here is the meaning of the binomial name Banksia integrifolia:

• Banksia-named in honour of Jospeh Banks, who was a botanist that came to Australia on HMS Endeavour with Captain Cook
• Integrifolia-is a Latin word, meaning the leaves are complete or uncut.

The leaves of the coast banksia are arranged in whorls around the stems. They are obovate to elliptic in shape with entire margins. On the upper surface, they are mid to dark green in colour and white on the leaf underside, due to a layer of fine hairs. They can reach ten centimetres long. At the juvenile stage, the leaves can have serrate (toothed) margins.

The flowers are what I love about banksias. As with all banksias, they are cylindrical and pale yellow in colour. They can reach a height of twelve centimetres. Flowers appear in spring, autumn and winter, according to some sources, while others say summer to early winter. From experience, I’ve seen more flowers from the coast banksia in winter than I have any other year. The flowers are nectar rich, and as such attract lots of wildlife, including bees, butterflies, both nectar- and seed-eating birds, insects and mammals.

Flowers are followed by follicles, of which there are many. They are 8-15mm. These follicles open when they reach maturity, around ten months after flowering.

As with all Proteaceae family plants, the coast banksia is sensitive to phosphorous, so use an Australian native fertiliser and potting mix to ensure the tree stays happy.

Besides being a great tree in its native range, and attractive to wildlife, the coast banksia also has other helpful uses. At one point in time, the timber from this tree was used in biplane construction. Thus timber was often called ‘beefwood’ as the cut wood looks like a freshly cut slice of beef, with a fatty rind. Being a coastal species, this tree handles the salt-laden winds found on the coast with ease. The tree is also frost and drought tolerant, so is easy to care for in many Australian gardens. It is also a handy tree to help control erosion.

If I could, I would have the coast banksia in my garden, along with many other banksia species. I love the flowers, especially because there are often birds feeding on them. I really enjoy watching these birds as they feed!

https://resources.austplants.com.au/plant/banksia-integrifolia/

https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Banksia~

https://gardeningwithangus.com.au/banksia-integrifolia-coast-banksia/

Robinson, L., Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, 2003, 3rd Edition, Simon & Schuster, Sydney

Fairley, A. & Moore, P., Native Plants of the Sydney Region, 20210, 3rd Edition, Allan & Unwin/Jacana Books, Sydney

All photos are my own.