Silver Banksia
Banksia marginata
Yellow flower spikes appear through the coldest months, providing crucial nectar for honeyeaters when little else is flowering. The silvery undersides of the leaves give it its name. After fire, it regenerates from lignotubers.
Climate context
Unusually cold-tolerant, flowering through winter at temperatures as low as 6–10°C. Tolerates frosts down to -10°C.
Seasonal indicator
- Flowering during Waring (Wombat season).
When to look
Monthly flowering observations in Victoria. Data from iNaturalist.
Has the timing shifted?
Peak flowering has shifted approximately 2.5 weeks earlier since 2015 — from Early June to Mid May.
Based on citizen science observations. Many factors affect timing — sample sizes are small and patterns may not reflect true phenological change.
Where to look
Observations along the Merri Creek corridor (Fawkner to Dights Falls). Data from iNaturalist.
Historical record
Earliest Victorian specimen: 1801, collected by [R Brown].
Pre-colonial
Before British colonization of southeastern Australia. Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people had lived on this Country for over 60,000 years.
Learn more: Wurundjeri ancestors
Specimen data from the Atlas of Living Australia. The collection of botanical specimens occurred alongside — and sometimes in service of — the colonisation of Wurundjeri Country.