View source for Banksia spinulosa var. cunninghamii

{{short description|Variety of shrub in the family Proteaceae from the east coast of Australia}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infraspeciesbox
|image = B cunninghamii3.jpg
|genus = Banksia
|species = spinulosa
|varietas = cunninghamii
|authority = ([[Franz Sieber|Sieber]] ex [[Ludwig Reichenbach|Rchb.]]) [[Alex George (botanist)|A.S.George]]
}}

'''''Banksia spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii''''', sometimes given species rank as '''''Banksia cunninghamii''''', is a shrub that grows along the east coast of [[Australia]], in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[New South Wales]]. It is a fast-growing non-lignotuberous shrub or small tree infrequently cultivated.

==Description==
As with the other varieties of ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' (Hairpin Banksia), ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa''&nbsp;var. ''collina'' grows as a multi-stemmed shrub with flower spikes that are all golden or golden with red or purple styles. Its leaves, flowers and fruit are all very similar to though of [[Banksia neoanglica|''B.&nbsp;neoanglica'']] (Hill Banksia), but unlike this and all other varieties of ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'', ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii'' lacks a [[lignotuber]].<ref name="George 1981">{{The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae)}}</ref><ref name="George 1999">{{Cite encyclopedia | first = A. S. | last = George | author-link = Alex George (botanist) | year = 1999 | chapter = Banksia | editor-last = Wilson | editor-first=Annette | title = Flora of Australia | volume = 17B: Proteaceae 3: Hakea to Dryandra | pages = 175–251 | publisher = [[CSIRO Publishing]] / [[Australian Biological Resources Study]] | isbn = 0-643-06454-0| title-link = Flora of Australia (series) }}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
{{See also|Taxonomy of Banksia}}
''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii'' was first collected by [[Franz Sieber]] in 1823, from [[Mount York]] in the [[Blue Mountains (Australia)|Blue Mountains]] of [[New South Wales]]. He gave it the name ''Banksia cunninghamii'' in honour of [[Allan Cunningham (botanist)|Allan Cunningham]],<ref name="George 1987"/> and this name was honoured when a formal description of the taxon was published by [[Ludwig Reichenbach]] in 1827.<ref name="APNI 53272">{{APNI | name = ''Banksia cunninghamii'' Sieber ex Rchb. | id = 53272}}</ref>

It retained its specific rank in [[Brown's taxonomic arrangement of Banksia|Brown's 1830 arrangement of ''Banksia'']], being placed between ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' and ''B.&nbsp;collina'' (now [[Banksia spinulosa var. collina|''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''collina'']]) in subgenus ''[[Banksia verae]]'', the "True Banksias", because its inflorescence is a typical Banksia flower spike. It was placed immediately .<ref name="Brown 1830">{{Cite book | last = Brown | first = Robert | author-link = Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) | year = 1830 | title = Supplementum Primum Prodromi Florae Novae Hollandiae | publisher = Taylor | location = London| title-link = Supplementum Primum Prodromi Florae Novae Hollandiae }}</ref>

Over the next 26 years, three synonyms were published. The first, ''Banksia lambertii'', was published by [[Richard Courtois]] in 1833.<ref name="APNI 54048">{{APNI | name = ''Banksia lambertii'' Hort. ex Courtois | id = 54048}}</ref> Then in 1853 [[Ferdinand von Mueller]] published ''Banksia prionophylla''.<ref name="APNI 262647">{{APNI | name = ''Banksia prionophylla'' F.Muell. | id = 262647}}</ref> This was a ''[[nomen nudum]]'' until the following year, when [[Carl Meissner]] republished the name with a formal description.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Meisner|first=Carl|year=1853|title=Proteaceae, auctore Meisner|journal=Linnaea: Ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange |volume=26|pages=352–61 [353] |quote=est verisimiliter ''B. littoralis'' R.Br., stirps junior, ramulis patentipilosis, - asbque flore haud certe diagnoscenda }}</ref><ref name="APNI 55035">{{APNI | name = ''Banksia prionophylla'' F.Muell. ex Meisn. | id = 55035}}</ref> This is now considered a taxonomic synonym of ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii'', although in 1981 Alf Salkin proposed to resurrect the name for the Victorian population, on grounds of the large distance (700&nbsp;km) between forms, and some distinguishing characteristics.<ref name = "Salkin 1979">{{Cite document | last = Salkin  | first = A. I. | title = Variation in Banksia in eastern Australia: an investigation using experimental methods | publisher = Monash University  | year = 1979  | location = Clayton | type = Masters thesis}}</ref> A final synonym, ''Banksia ledifolia'', dates from 1856, when Meissner inexplicably listed the name as a synonym (authored by Cunningham and in manuscript form in the Herbarium) in his chapter on the [[Proteaceae]] for [[A. P. de Candolle]]'s ''Prodromus''.<ref name="APNI 54111">{{APNI | name = ''Banksia ledifolia'' Meisn. | id = 54111}}</ref>

''Banksia verae'' was renamed ''[[Eubanksia]]'' by [[Stephan Endlicher]] in 1847, and in [[Meissner's taxonomic arrangement of Banksia|Meissner's 1856 classification]] it was demoted to sectional rank. Meissner further divided it into four series, with ''B.&nbsp;cunninghamii'' placed alongside ''B.&nbsp;collina'' in series ''[[Banksia ser. Salicinae|Salicinae]]'', while ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' was placed in series ''[[Banksia ser. Abietinae|Abietinae]]''.<ref name="Meissner 1856">{{Cite book | last = Meissner | first = Carl | year = 1856 | chapter = Proteaceae | editor-last = Candolle | editor-first = A. P. de | editor-link = Augustin Pyramus de Candolle | title = Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis, pars decima quarta | chapter-url = http://www.botanicus.org/title.asp?barcode=31753003013338 | location = Paris | publisher = Sumptibus Victoris Masson | author-link = Carl Meissner | access-date = 2007-10-03 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215212/http://www.botanicus.org/title.asp?barcode=31753003013338 | archive-date = 2007-09-27 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

When [[George Bentham]] published [[Bentham's taxonomic arrangement of Banksia|his 1870 arrangement]] in ''[[Flora Australiensis]]'', he discarded Meissner's series, placing all the species with hooked styles together in a section that he named ''[[Banksia sect. Oncostylis|Oncostylis]]''. ''B.&nbsp;cunninghamii'' was reduced to synonymy with ''B.&nbsp;collina'', which was placed next to ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' in section ''Oncostylis''.<ref name="Bentham 1870">{{Cite encyclopedia | last = Bentham | first = George | author-link = George Bentham | year = 1870 | title = ''Banksia'' | encyclopedia = [[Flora Australiensis|Flora Australiensis: A Description of the Plants of the Australian Territory]] | volume = 5: Myoporineae to Proteaceae | pages = 541–562 | location = London | publisher = L. Reeve & Co.}}</ref> This arrangement would stand for over a century.

[[Alex George (botanist)|Alex George]] published a new taxonomic arrangement of ''Banksia'' in his landmark 1981 monograph ''[[The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae)]]''. Endlicher's ''Eubanksia'' became [[Banksia subg. Banksia|''B.''&nbsp;subg. ''Banksia'']], and was divided into three sections, one of which was ''Oncostylis''. ''Oncostylis'' was further divided into four series, with ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' placed in series [[Banksia ser. Spicigerae|''Spicigerae'']] because its inflorescences are cylindrical. ''B.&nbsp;cunninghamii'' was reinstated at variety rank as ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii''.<ref name="George 1981"/>

In 1996, [[Kevin Thiele]] and [[Pauline Ladiges]] published a new arrangement for the genus, after [[cladistics|cladistic]] analyses yielded a [[cladogram]] significantly different from George's arrangement. [[Thiele and Ladiges' taxonomic arrangement of Banksia|Thiele and Ladiges' arrangement]] retained ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''collina''{{'}}s position within the ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' complex, and retained ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' in series ''Spicigerae'', but placed the species alone in ''B.''&nbsp;subser. ''Spinulosae''.<ref name="Thiele 1996">{{Cite journal | last1 = Thiele | first1 = Kevin | author-link1 = Kevin Thiele | last2 = Ladiges | first2 = Pauline Y. | author-link2 = Pauline Ladiges | year = 1996 | title = A cladistic analysis of ''Banksia'' (Proteaceae) | journal = [[Australian Systematic Botany]] | volume = 9 | issue = 5 | pages = 661–733 | doi = 10.1071/SB9960661}}</ref> This arrangement stood until 1999, when George effectively reverted to his 1981 arrangement in his monograph for the ''[[Flora of Australia (series)|Flora of Australia]]'' series.

[[Image:Edwards's Botanical Register Volume 16 Plate 1363 - Banksia littoralis.jpg|thumb|right|In 1830, a colour plate of ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii'' was featured in ''[[Edwards's Botanical Register]]'', but misidentified as ''[[Banksia littoralis|B.&nbsp;littoralis]]'' (Western Swamp Banksia).]]
Under [[George's taxonomic arrangement of Banksia|George's taxonomic arrangement of ''Banksia'']], ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii''<nowiki />'s taxonomic placement may be summarised as follows:<ref name ="George 1999"/>
:'''Genus ''[[Banksia]]'''''
::'''Subgenus ''[[Banksia subg. Banksia|Banksia]]'''''
:::Section ''[[Banksia sect. Banksia|Banksia]]''
:::Section ''[[Banksia coccinea|Coccinea]]''
:::'''Section ''[[Banksia sect. Oncostylis|Oncostylis]]'''''
::::'''Series ''[[Banksia ser. Spicigerae|Spicigerae]]'''''
:::::'''''[[Banksia spinulosa|B.&nbsp;spinulosa]]'''''
::::::[[Banksia spinulosa var. spinulosa|''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''spinulosa'']]
::::::[[Banksia spinulosa var. collina|''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''collina'']]
::::::[[Banksia spinulosa var. neoanglica|''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''neoanglica'']]
::::::'''''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii'''''
:::::''[[Banksia ericifolia|B.&nbsp;ericifolia]]''
:::::''[[Banksia verticillata|B.&nbsp;verticillata]]''
:::::''[[Banksia seminuda|B.&nbsp;seminuda]]''
:::::''[[Banksia littoralis|B.&nbsp;littoralis]]''
:::::''[[Banksia occidentalis|B.&nbsp;occidentalis]]''
:::::''[[Banksia brownii|B.&nbsp;brownii]]''
::::Series ''[[Banksia tricuspis|Tricuspidae]]''
::::Series ''[[Banksia dryandroides|Dryandroidae]]''
::::Series ''[[Banksia ser. Abietinae|Abietinae]]''
::Subgenus ''[[Banksia subg. Isostylis|Isostylis]]''

Since 1998, [[Austin Mast]] has been publishing results of ongoing cladistic analyses of [[DNA sequence]] data for the subtribe [[Banksiinae]]. His analyses suggest a phylogeny that is very greatly different to George's arrangement. George's and Thiele and Ladiges' positioning of ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii'' within ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' is supported, but ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa''<nowiki />'s placement is not. Series ''Spicigerae'' appears to be [[polyphyly|polyphyletic]], with ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' and ''B.&nbsp;ericifolia'' more closely related to the taxa in Series ''Salicinae'' than it is to the other members of series ''Spicigerae''.<ref name="Mast 1998">{{Cite journal | last = Mast | first = Austin R. | author-link = Austin Mast | year = 1998 | title = Molecular systematics of subtribe Banksiinae (''Banksia'' and ''Dryandra''; Proteaceae) based on cpDNA and nrDNA sequence data: implications for taxonomy and biogeography | journal = Australian Systematic Botany | volume = 11 | pages = 321–342 | doi = 10.1071/SB97026 | issue = 4}}</ref><ref name="Mast 2002">{{Cite journal | last1 = Mast | first1 = Austin R. | last2 = Givnish | first2 = Thomas J. | author-link2 = Thomas J. Givnish | year = 2002 | title = Historical biogeography and the origin of stomatal distributions in ''Banksia'' and ''Dryandra'' (Proteaceae) based on Their cpDNA phylogeny | journal = [[American Journal of Botany]] | volume = 89 | issue = 8 | pages = 1311–1323 | doi = 10.3732/ajb.89.8.1311 | issn = 0002-9122 | pmid=21665734| doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name="Mast 2005">{{Cite journal | first1 = Austin R. | last1 = Mast | first2 = Eric H. | last2 = Jones | first3 = Shawn P. | last3 = Havery | year = 2005 | volume = 18 | issue = 1 | title = An assessment of old and new DNA sequence evidence for the paraphyly of ''Banksia'' with respect to ''Dryandra'' (Proteaceae) | journal = Australian Systematic Botany | pages = 75–88 | publisher = CSIRO Publishing / Australian Systematic Botany Society | doi = 10.1071/SB04015}}</ref> Early in 2007, Mast and Thiele initiated a rearrangement of ''Banksia'' by merging ''[[Dryandra]]'' into it, and publishing [[Banksia subg. Spathulatae|''B.''&nbsp;subg. ''Spathulatae'']] for the species having spoon-shaped [[cotyledon]]s. They foreshadowed publishing a full arrangement once DNA sampling of ''Dryandra'' was complete; in the meantime, if Mast and Thiele's nomenclatural changes are taken as an interim arrangement, then ''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii'' is placed in ''B.''&nbsp;subg. ''Spathulatae''.<ref name="Mast 2007">{{Cite journal | last1 = Mast | first1 = Austin R. | last2 = Thiele | first2 = Kevin | year = 2007 | title = The transfer of ''Dryandra'' R.Br. to ''Banksia'' L.f. (Proteaceae) | journal = Australian Systematic Botany | volume = 20 | pages = 63–71 | doi = 10.1071/SB06016}}</ref>

To date, the [[National Herbarium of New South Wales]] continues to treat this taxon as having species rank, referring to it as ''B.&nbsp;cunninghamii''.<ref name="NSW FO B. cunn. subsp. a">[http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Banksia~cunninghamii ''Banksia cunninghamii'' Sieber ex Rchb.], PlantNET: The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust.</ref> Moreover, ''B.&nbsp;neoanglica'' is treated as a subspecies of it; this placement has no formal name, so is referred to by the manuscript name ''Banksia cunninghamii'' subsp. A ''sensu'' Harden.<ref name="NSW FO B. cunn. subsp. a"/> A 2013 molecular study by Marcel Cardillo and colleagues using chloroplast DNA and combining it with earlier results placed ''B. cunninghamii'' as the earliest offshoot of a lineage that gave rise to the three other subspecies of ''B. spinulosa''.<ref name="cardillo 2013">{{cite journal|last=Cardillo|first=Marcel|author2=Pratt, Renae|date=2013|title=Evolution of a Hotspot Genus: Geographic Variation in Speciation and Extinction Rates in ''Banksia'' (Proteaceae)|journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology|volume=13|issue=155|pages=155| doi=10.1186/1471-2148-13-155|pmid=23957450|pmc=3751403 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
This taxon occurs along the coast from [[Melbourne, Victoria]] to the northern boundary of [[New South Wales]], with large populations east of Melbourne, along the coast near the boundary of Victoria and New South Wales, and around [[Sydney]]. There are also many records of collections of this species in mountainous areas of northern New South Wales, but these probably need to be re-classified as ''B.&nbsp;neoanglica''.<ref name="Taylor 1988">{{The Banksia Atlas}}</ref>

It mainly grows in sand, often over rock, but is also found in heavier soils. It is usually an understory shrub in open forests and woodlands of ''[[Eucalyptus]]''.<ref name="Taylor 1988"/>

==Cultivation==
''B.&nbsp;spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii'' is a fast-growing shrub that flowers in around five years from seed. The flower spikes are attractive but are often obscured by foliage. It prefers a well-drained heavy soil with some shade, and tolerates frost down to {{convert|-8|°C|°F}}. It should be pruned only lightly, and not below the green foliage.<ref name="George 1987">{{The Banksia Book}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikispecies|Banksia spinulosa var. cunninghamii}}
{{Wikisource|Edwards's Botanical Register/Volume 16/1363. Banksia littoralis|Edwards's Botanical Register/Volume 16/1363. Banksia littoralis}}
{{Wikisource|Flora Australiensis/Volume V/CIV. Proteaceae/28. Banksia#Banksia collina|Flora Australiensis/Volume&nbsp;V/CIV.&nbsp;Proteaceae/28.&nbsp;Banksia#Banksia collina}}
* {{Flora of Australia Online|name=''Banksia spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii'' (Sieber ex Rchb.) A.S.George}}
* [http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Banksia~cunninghamii ''Banksia cunninghamii'' Sieber ex Rchb.], PlantNET: The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust.
* {{APNI | name = ''Banksia spinulosa'' var. ''cunninghamii'' (Sieber ex Rchb.) A.S.George | id = 55595}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q4856725}}

[[Category:Banksia taxa by scientific name|spinulosa var. cunninghamii]]
[[Category:Flora of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Flora of Queensland]]