Banksia grandis

Common name: Bull Banksia

Meaning of name:

Banksia is named after Sir Joseph Banks (1743 – 1820) who collected the first specimens of the genus during Captain Cook’s voyage in 1770. Grandis is a Latin word meaning great, large, tall. This refers to the large leaves.

Aboriginal Name:

Poolgarla.

Aboriginal Use:

An infusion of the flowers was used to relieve coughs and colds and as a refreshing drink. The nectar was also sucked straight from the flowers.

Distribution:

Occurs on the Coastal Plain and on the Darling Scarp and Range from Jurien Bay to Bremer Bay and inland to Katanning.

Description:

A tree to 10 metres tall. Large, deeply divided leaves. Large pale yellow flowering cones are produced from September to December.

References:

Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings, a Glossary. FA Sharr. 1996.

Flora of the Perth Region. NG Marchant, JR Wheeler, BL Rye, EM Bennett, NS Lander, TD Macfarlane. 1987.

Leaf & Branch, Trees and Tall Shrubs of Perth. Robert Powell. 1990

Bush Tucker Plants of the South-West. B Daw, T Walley, G Keighery. 1997.

Noongar Bush Medicine, Medicinal Plants of the South-west of Western Australia. Vivienne Hansen & John Horsfall. 2016

Atlas of Living Australia https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2896043

Florabase https://florabase.dbca.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/1819