Search Utilities Plant Database Search Plant Name Detail Search Search by size, origins, details, cultural needs Website Search Search for any word Site Map Retail Locator Plant Listings PLANT TYPE PLANT GEOGRAPHY PLANT INDEX ALL PLANT LIST PLANT IMAGE INDEX PLANT INTROS SPECIALTY CROPS NEW  2023 PLANTS PRIME LIST   for MAY  Weather Station

Products > Banksia speciosa   Banksia speciosa - Showy Banksia     [2nd Image] Habit and Cultural Information Category: Shrub Family: Proteaceae (Proteas) Origin: Australia (Australasia) Evergreen: Yes Flower Color: Cream Bloomtime: Summer/Fall Height: 12-20 feet Width: 10-15 feet Exposure: Full Sun Seaside: Yes Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F Banksia speciosa (Showy Banksia) - A dense, rounded medium-sized tree or large shrub which grows to 12-20 feet tall and has 1 foot long or more olive-green leaves that are deeply serrated and that have a whitish underside with new foliage clothed with brown hairs. Unique erect, 1 foot tall cone-like flowers, popular with florists because of the creamy-yellow color, rise above the foliage in summer and fall. Plant in full sun and irrigate only occasionally to very little. Hardy to 20-25 degrees F. This plant can be susceptible to root rot so it is always best planted in well-drained soils and water withheld in summer months. Tolerates near coastal conditions but needs some protection from direct salt spray and wind exposure. Showy Banksia comes the southern area of Western Australia, growing within 30 miles of the coast along the Southern Ocean, often in old dune formations in deep sandy soils. The name for the genus is one given by Carolus Linnaeus to honor the English botanist Sir Joseph Banks, who was on Captain James Cook's first expedition to Australia and collected the first Banksia specimens in 1770. The specific epithet is from the Latin word 'speciosus' meaning "showy" in reference to the showy flowers of this species. Another common name is Ricrac Banksia in reference to the zig sagging serrations of the leaf.  Information displayed on this page about  Banksia speciosa is based on the research conducted about it in our library and from reliable online resources. We also note those observations we have made of this plant as it grows in the nursery's garden and in other gardens, as well how crops have performed in our nursery field. We will incorporate comments we receive from others, and welcome to hear from anyone who may have additional information, particularly if they share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.     [MORE INFO]