Feather-leaved banksia

About the plant

Banksia brownii is indigenous to the far south-western corner of Western Australia, between Albany and the Stirling Range.

Critically endangered

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of the world’s species. The ongoing mission is to evaluate every plant species in the world.

IUCN Red List Status:

Not yet evaluated

Data deficient

Least concern

Near threatened

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Extinct in the wild

Extinct
Banked in the MSB

Seeds from this plant have been banked in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, at Wakehurst in Sussex
Invertebrate food

Plant is eaten by native and feral animals

Click on icon to reveal more

Facts

Only around 1,000 plants exist in the wild
Fine feather-like leaves
Large red-brown flower spikes

*Banksia brownii*
J. Wrigley © Australian National Botanic Gardens

Montane Banksia brownii
Wolfgang Stuppy © RBG Kew

Propagating *Banksia brownii*
Wolfgang Stuppy © RBG Kew

*Banksia brownii*
By Cas Liber via Wikimedia Commons

Fire-adapted plants

Banksia brownii has adapted to bushfires. Fire triggers seed dispersal and smoke breaks seed dormancy. Heavy rains following the fires then help the seedlings establish quickly.

But when fires are too frequent, because of climate change and land management policies, adult plants burn before they produce the seed for future generations.

Control the mould

B. brownii is also threatened by the soil-borne water mould Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Local teams apply phosphite via aerial spraying to many populations to protect plants from infection and help recovery.

Collecting and preserving its seed, together with growing healthy specimens at other locations, offers the best chance for long-term conservation. We have seeds stored in the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst.

Name fame

Banksia brownii was first collected by William Baxter in 1829 from King George Sound and officially described by him in 1830.

The genus name honours Sir Joseph Banks, Kew’s unofficial first director who travelled to Australia with Captain Cook on HMS Endeavour from 1768 to 1771.

The species epithet honours Robert Brown, a Scottish botanist known for his exploration of Australia, who circumnavigated Australia with Captain Matthew Flinders on HMS Investigator in the early 1800s.

Name honours two important botanists: Joseph Banks and Robert Brown

Critically endangered

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of the world’s species. The ongoing mission is to evaluate every plant species in the world.

IUCN Red List Status:

Not yet evaluated

Data deficient

Least concern

Near threatened

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Extinct in the wild

Extinct
Banked in the MSB

Seeds from this plant have been banked in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, at Wakehurst in Sussex
Invertebrate food

Plant is eaten by native and feral animals

Click on icon to reveal more

Name honours two important botanists: Joseph Banks and Robert Brown

Where to find this plant

Temperate House

Home to 1,500 plant species from temperate regions around the world.

Australia: Temperate Region

The world’s smallest and oldest continent. Home to around 23,845 plant species, of which about 86% are endemic.