“Banksia Seed Pod”
Day 72 of 366 Day Project
“Magic is everywhere, explore & be amazed everyday!”
The banksia trees that line our street are starting to flower and are covered in seed pods so today’s photo is a close up of the seed pod. The fruits of banksias are called follicles which are hard and woody and often grouped together to resemble cones (which they are not true cones are produced only by conifers). Banksias are among the best known of all Australian native plants and are justly popular in cultivation.
The flower heads are made up of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of tiny individual flowers grouped together in pairs. The colour of the flower heads usually ranges from yellow to red. Many species flower over autumn and winter.
Banksia Flower
There are 173 Banksia species, and all but one occur naturally only in Australia. Banksias were named after Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820 ), who, in 1770, was the first European to collect specimens of these plants.
Banksia Seed Pod
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