Orange Dryandra  |  

Dryandra aurantia, Family Proteaceae, now known as Banksia aurantia and also known as Orange Dryandra, is a prostrate clonal shrub with multiple underground stems, covered with pale rust-coloured bracts. It is distinguished by these underground stems, its broadly triangular leaf lobes and small flowers. Up to ten clumps of leaves can form a plant 2 m wide. The leaves have 18–28 triangular lobes per side, are 12–25 cm long and 2.5–4.5 cm wide, and are pitted on the underside. There are approximately 80 pale orange flowers, 810 mm long, in each terminal head, with flowering occurring in April. Orange Dryandra is related to Dryandra porrecta but the former has more numerous flowers per head, an orange floral whorl that is very woolly above the base and an autumn flowering period. In recent years Orange Dryandra has been confused with populations of Dryandra sp. Boyup Brook and Dryandra tenuifolia, both of which have a more southern distribution.