Old man banksia
Hardy Australian native plants, old man banksias can be found along the coast, and in the dry sclerophyll forests and sandstone mountain ranges of NSW. With roughened bark and gnarled limbs, they produce a distinctive cylindrical yellow-green banksia flower which blossoms from summer to early autumn.
Read more about Old man banksia
Old man banksias are found along eastern Australia and the Bass Strait. Also known as saw banksia, due to their serrated-edge leaf, old man banksias produce large yellow-green banksias which are made up of numerous tiny individual flowers that often appear hairy due to the retention of old withered flower parts. These flowers attract insects and birds, making areas old man banksias are found in great for bird watching.
Adapted to withstand extremes, the thick, roughened bark, often stunted growth and gnarled limbs of the old man banksia may be the result of exposure to strong winds, salt spray or bushfire. After fires, old man banksia will spring back to life with epicormic shoots visible along the bark within a week. The intense heat assists the tough seed heads to split open.
Plant facts
- Common name
- Old man banksia
- Scientific name
- Banksia serrata
- Conservation status in NSW
- Protected
Parks in which this plant is found
- Berowra Valley National Park
- Blackheath area in Blue Mountains National Park
- Budderoo National Park
- Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area
- Garigal National Park
- Glenbrook area in Blue Mountains National Park
- Green Cape area in Beowa National Park
- Heathcote National Park
- Katoomba area in Blue Mountains National Park
- Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
- Kurnell area in Kamay Botany Bay National Park
- La Perouse area in Kamay Botany Bay National Park
- Lane Cove National Park
- Lower Grose Valley area in Blue Mountains National Park
- Lower Snowy River area in Kosciuszko National Park
- Mount Wilson area in Blue Mountains National Park
- Muogamarra Nature Reserve
- Southern Blue Mountains area in Blue Mountains National Park
- Tomaree National Park
- Worimi National Park
- Wyrrabalong National Park