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Proteaceae
Heath Banksia
Banksia ericifolia
Fire-forged rebirth and the tenacity of the Australian bush.
- Family
- Proteaceae
- Genus
- Banksia
- Native to
- Australia
- Bloom season
- Fall, Winter
- Type
- evergreen shrub
- Height
- 200–600 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- sandy, acidic, well-drained
- Water
- low; drought-tolerant once established
- Hardiness
- 9–11
- Lifespan
- perennial; 15–30 years
Did you know
- A single heath banksia flower spike contains up to 1,000 individual flowers packed in a cylindrical cone.
- It is the floral emblem of New South Wales and appears on Australian postage stamps.
- The woody seed follicles only open after bushfire, releasing seeds into nutrient-rich ash beds.
- May Gibbs' 'Big Bad Banksia Men' in Snugglepot and Cuddlepie were inspired by the gnarly old seed cones.
- Honeyeaters, lorikeets, and sugar gliders all rely on the copious nectar produced by heath banksia.
Color meanings
0
rebirth
1
resilience
2
wild beauty