Portal:Australia/Featured article/Week 35, 2006

Banksia brownii, commonly known as Feather-leaved Banksia or Brown's Banksia, is a species of shrub in the plant genus Banksia. An attractive plant with fine feathery leaves and large red-brown flower spikes, it usually grows as an upright bush around two metres (7 ft) high, but can also occur as a small tree or a low spreading shrub. First collected in 1829 and published the following year, it is placed in Banksia section Oncostylis, series Spicigerae. There are two genetically distinct forms. B. brownii occurs naturally only in two population clusters in the southwest of Western Australia between Albany and the Stirling Range. It is rare and endangered in its natural habitat, with all known populations currently threatened by Phytophthora cinnamomi dieback, a disease to which the species is highly susceptible. Other threats include loss of habitat, commercial exploitation and changes to the fire regime. Highly valued by Australia's horticultural and cut flower industries, B. brownii is widely cultivated in areas not exposed to dieback. It prefers a sheltered position in soil with good drainage, and must be provided with some moisture over summer.