Banksia Nuts
These nuts are the fruit of a small tree, 5 to 10 meters in height, which grow in the Jarrah Forests in the remote deserts of Western Australia. The nuts are
hard and solid. They are easy to turn but create a fair amount of flying seed and chip dust, therefore the use of a dust mask is recommended. Nuts will vary in size from 4 to 9 inches in length. These nuts have been dried for years after being picked from the trees.

http://www.pennstateind.com/library/BANK...

The fruit of Banksia is a woody follicle embedded in the axis of the inflorescence. These consist of two horizontal valves that tightly enclose the seeds. The follicle opens to release the seed by splitting along the suture, and in some species each valve splits too. In some species the follicles open as soon as the seed is mature, but in most species most follicles open only after stimulated to do so by bushfire. Each follicle usually contains one or two small seeds, each with a wedge-shaped papery wing that causes it to spin as it falls to the ground

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Australian

Banksia Nuts
Found in Western Australia, fruit of a tree or shrub. Discovered by Sir Joseph Banks who travelled with Captain Cook on his discovery of Australia in 1770. Used for turning, handicraft and decorative items.


Many people have asked us what the Banksia Nut is, after some research courtesy of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, we found that Banksia Grandis - to give its full name, is a large shrub to small tree (growing up to 9 metres) with huge yellow inflorescences. In the wild, it occurs from Mount Lesueur to Cape Leeuwin in southwestern Western Australia in sand on the coastal plain, in woodland and heath. It is common in laterite in the Jarrah forest of the Darling Plateau near Perth.

BANKSIA TREE AND NUTS
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