Scientific Name: Banksia aemula
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Pronunciation:BANKS-ee-ah ay-MULE-ah
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Common Name:Wallum Banksia
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Derivation:Banksia: for Sir Joseph Banks |aemula: aemulus - competing with, emulative
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Type:
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Family:PROTEACEAE
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Flowers:Pale green broad cylindrical spike autumn-winter
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Fruit:Infructescence: woody. Massive, up to 25 follicle s, valve s 3-4.5 cm across.
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Vegetation Type:Dry Heath. Consolidated sand dunes, in swales or sandy flats. Eucalypt open forest near coast.
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Species List:FlexiSchoolSB, Plants for Coastal Gardens, W1, Hedges, Bush food, SBHS, NLTalks2010, Coolum High, NNP Parkedge/Alex, NNP service road, Kingfisher Bay Resort, NNP Viewland/Brunjes, Girraween, Emu Swamp, Marcus Dunes, BHNR, Arthur Harrold NR, NNS, Regional Ecosystem 12.2.9. Regional Ecosystem 12.3.14. Regional Ecosystem 12.5.10.
Cultural Notes
TAKE CARE! Some information about bush foods and medicines may be anecdotal. Correct identification and preparation is essential:
Bush food. Flowers dipped in water for sweet drinks, or rolled in hands to lick the nectar. Seed cones used as hair brushes.
Bush medicine: Coughs and colds - nectar syrup drunk | The sweet drink of the banksia flower is sometimes mixed with wattle gum. The Aborigines also made a weak form of alcohol, which is called 'bull' or 'bool' from the banksia, leaving the liquid to ferment.
Identification Notes
Stigma conical (B. serrata has cylindrical stigma)
Associated Fauna
Bird attracting, butterfly attracting. Butterfly host plant: Fiery jewel. Bees, wasps and other insects like sucking the nectar from the banksia flowers.
Landscaping Notes
Noosa Council Preferred Species list. Suitable plant for appropriate soil conditions (see Vegetation type)||Feature foliage||Successfully propagated by Coolum Community Native Nursery|Successfully propagated by Tin Can Bay City Farm Nursery|Successfully propagated by Mooloolah Native Nursery||Screens and hedges (relatively slow-growing.)||Successfully propagated by Barung Landcare||