Banksia blechnifolia

Banksia blechnifolia is a prostrate shrub that grows to about 50 cm (19 1⁄2 in) high and spreads to 2–4 m (6 1⁄2–13 ft) across. It has thick horizontal stems up to 70 cm (27 1⁄2 in) long and 0.7–1.0 cm (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) thick that lie on top of the ground. They are covered in fine rusty-brown fur, which turns grey with age. The leathery herringbone leaves rise vertically from the stems on thick 5–18 cm (2–7 in) long petioles, which have two narrow ribs on the undersurface. The leaves themselves are 25–45 cm (10–17 1⁄2 in) long, with 8–22 deep lobes on each leaf edge. Narrowly triangular to roughly linear in shape and 2–5 cm (3⁄4–2 in) long, these lobes are either oppositely or alternately arranged along the leaf midline, and arise at 60–80 degrees. The leaf blade narrows for the top third of its length to a pointed apex. Flowering occurs from mid September to late November, with the flower spikes, known as inflorescences, arising at the ends of the stems.[3] Up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) high and 9 centimetres (3.5 in) wide, they are overall red-brown to salmon-coloured.[2] The individual flowers are reddish pink with a cream base, fading to light brown and then grey as they age. The perianth is 2.8–3.2 cm (1 1⁄8–1 1⁄4 in) long, includes a 3.5–5 mm limb and is covered in fine fur. Old flowers remain on the spike, obscuring the developing seed pods known as follicles. Up to 25 in number, these are covered in fur and oval, measuring 2.0–3.0 cm (3⁄4–1 1⁄8 in) long, by 0.5–1.0 cm (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) high, and 1.0–1.5 cm (3⁄8–5⁄8 in) wide.

The obovate (egg-shaped) to cuneate (wedge-shaped) seed is 2.0–2.5 cm (3⁄4–1 in) long. It is composed of the wedge-shaped seed body (containing the embryonic plant), measuring 0.9–1.2 cm (3⁄8–1⁄2 in) long by 1.2–1.7 cm (1⁄2–5⁄8 in) wide, and a papery wing. One side, termed the outer surface, is convex and pale greyish brown with irregular pits and the inner surface is dark brown and smooth. The seeds are separated by a sturdy dark brown seed separatorroughly the same shape as the seeds with a depression where the seed body sits adjacent to it in the follicle. The first pair of leaves produced by seedlings, known as cotyledons, are wedge-shaped with a convex apical side and measure 1.0–1.1 cm (3⁄8–3⁄8 in) long by 1.4–1.5 cm (1⁄2–5⁄8 in) wide. Dark green in colour, they are faintly reticulated. The auricle at the base of the cotyledon leaf is pointed and measures 0.2 cm (1⁄8 in) long. The cotyledons sit on a short thick hypocotyl.