Hairpin banksia fact sheet – wadanggari | Field of Mars EEC

What are hairpin banksias?

Hairpin banksias are native Australian shrubs in the banksia group. Their scientific name is Banksia spinulosa. In Sydney bushland they usually grow as small to medium shrubs with narrow, leathery leaves, grey-brown bark and upright cylindrical flower spikes made from many tiny flowers.

Hairpin banksias flower mostly from autumn to winter. Their flower spikes may be yellow, orange, red-brown or golden, often with long hooked styles that give the plant its “hairpin” name. In Field of Mars Reserve and nearby Sydney sandstone bushland, hairpin banksias are part of the shrub layer and provide nectar, pollen, shelter and structure for many animals.

A hairpin banksia.

Hairpin banksias have narrow leaves and upright flower spikes.

Where do hairpin banksias grow?

Hairpin banksias grow along parts of eastern Australia in heath, woodland and dry sclerophyll forest. In NSW, they are widespread in dry forest and woodland, often growing in sandy, well-drained soils and rocky sandstone areas.

Around Sydney, hairpin banksias are part of sandstone bushland plant communities. In Field of Mars Reserve they grow with eucalypts, grass trees, bracken ferns and other shrubs, helping create layered habitat for animals.

Hairpin banksias grow in Sydney eucalypt forest and sandstone bushland.

How are hairpin banksias used by Aboriginal Peoples?

Banksia is recorded in Dharug language resources as wadanggari. This reminds us that native plants have long cultural connections with Country and are part of Aboriginal knowledge systems in the Sydney region.

Some Aboriginal Peoples used nectar-rich banksia flowers as a sweet food source. Flowers could be soaked in water to make a sweet drink. This use is usually described for banksias as a group, so it is best to describe it carefully rather than suggesting every Aboriginal group used hairpin banksia in the same way.

Banksia flowers can be rich in nectar.

What animals use hairpin banksias?

Hairpin banksia flower spikes produce nectar during autumn and winter, when fewer native plants may be flowering. Honeyeaters such as eastern spinebills and red wattlebirds, rainbow lorikeets, native bees and other insects can feed from banksia flowers and move pollen between plants.

Small mammals may also visit banksia flowers for nectar at night. The shrub’s branches and dense foliage provide perching places, shelter, web attachment points, camouflage and hunting places for insects, spiders, birds and other small animals.

Eastern spinebills are nectar-feeding birds that may visit banksia flowers.

What is the life cycle of hairpin banksias?

Hairpin banksias grow from seeds. Seedlings develop narrow leaves and gradually grow into mature shrubs. Mature plants produce flower spikes, usually from autumn into winter. Each flower spike is made from many small flowers that can be pollinated by birds, insects and small mammals.

After pollination, woody fruits called follicles form on the old flower spike. Each follicle can protect seeds until it opens. Heat from fire, very dry conditions or plant stress can open the follicles and release winged seeds, which fall or are blown to nearby soil. Young plants need enough time between fires to grow, flower and develop their own seed supply.

Hairpin banksia follicles hold seeds inside a woody cone-like structure.

Life stages of a hairpin banksia

What adaptations do hairpin banksias have to help them survive?

Hairpin banksias have specialised cluster roots that help them absorb scarce nutrients from Australian soils. Their narrow, tough leaves help reduce water loss, while woody follicles protect seeds from animals and harsh conditions before release.

Hairpin banksias can also respond to fire. Some plants can resprout from protected buds on stems or from a woody lignotuber at the base of the plant. Heat from fire can also open seed follicles and release seeds onto ash-rich soil. Very frequent fires can be harmful because young plants may not have enough time to mature and produce seeds.

Heat from fire can open banksia follicles and release seeds.

Why are hairpin banksias important?

Hairpin banksias provide nectar and pollen during the cooler months, helping support pollinators and nectar-feeding animals when other flowers may be less common. Birds, insects and small mammals can all be part of the food web connected to banksia flowers.

Hairpin banksias also add structure to the shrub layer of eucalypt forests and heaths. Their branches, leaves, flower spikes and old seed cones create feeding, shelter and hunting places for small wildlife, while their roots help stabilise sandy soils.

Hairpin banksias form part of the shrub layer in dry eucalypt forest.

How can you help hairpin banksias?

You can help hairpin banksias by staying on tracks, observing flowers without picking them and leaving seed cones, leaves and branches where they belong. Fallen plant material becomes habitat and returns nutrients to the soil.

Students can also help by learning to identify local native plants, removing weeds with trained adults, joining bushcare activities and keeping dogs out of protected bushland where required. If planting near bushland, choose locally appropriate native plants and avoid spreading garden plants or weeds into natural areas.

Staying on tracks helps protect hairpin banksias and other native plants.

Related fact sheets

More plant fact sheets

• Plant fact sheets – Explore more native plant fact sheets from Field of Mars EEC.
• Old man banksia fact sheet – Learn about another local banksia that provides nectar and woody seed cones.
• Scribbly gum fact sheet – Explore a eucalypt found in similar Sydney sandstone bushland.
• Grass tree fact sheet – Learn about another fire-adapted plant of dry sclerophyll forest.
• Bracken fern fact sheet – Discover a fern that grows in similar bushland habitats.

Habitats and environments with hairpin banksias

• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Learn about local bushland where hairpin banksias support wildlife.
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – Explore the forest habitat where hairpin banksias grow in the shrub layer.
• Habitat fact sheet – Learn how plants provide food, shelter and living spaces for animals.

Animals that use this habitat

• Eastern spinebill fact sheet – Discover a nectar-feeding bird that may visit banksia flowers.
• Red wattlebird fact sheet – Learn about a honeyeater that feeds from flowering native plants.
• Rainbow lorikeet fact sheet – Explore a colourful bird that feeds on nectar and pollen.
• Common ringtail possum fact sheet – Learn about a nocturnal mammal that uses shrubs and trees.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Insects fact sheet – Learn how insects use plants and move through food webs.
• Birds fact sheet – Explore birds that feed, pollinate and nest in bushland habitats.
• Mammals fact sheet – Learn about mammals that use plants for food, shelter and movement.

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