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Banksia serra

Serrate-leaved Dryandra

Family ProteaceaeGenus Banksia

A fat upright cone of pale green-cream flowers packed with fine curved styles, surrounded by long leaves with saw-toothed edges.
FlowerC T JohanssonCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
shrubPlants of the World Online
Flower
Pale yellowWikipedia
Native range
Western AustraliaGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • The serrate-leaved dryandra is endemic to Western Australia. One assessment found its range likely to shrink by 30 to 80 percent by 2080 under climate change. Wikipedia: Banksia serra

Two sources report three treatments between them. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around February 23, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on February 22, 2025.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 730 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

about 2 years from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 42 days.

100% germination in 42 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Dryandra p. 40Public domain
Show the original text
Dryandra (Proteaceae). D. serra germ. 40-70(2/6 in 3rd w) and none in 70D or 70 GA-3 using seed DS only 3 m. After 2 y DS the seeds now germ. 40(12/12 in 6th w) showing the favorable effect of lengthy DS. Seeds DS 3 y germ. 40-70(4/5 in 3rd d). These results are somewhat inconsistent, but they do show that the seed remains viable for 3 y of DS.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Dryandra p. 40. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around January 3, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on January 3, 2024.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 1095 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

about 3 years from start to step 3. Germination happens during step 3, in 3 days.

80% germination in 3 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Dryandra p. 40Public domain
Show the original text
Dryandra (Proteaceae). D. serra germ. 40-70(2/6 in 3rd w) and none in 70D or 70 GA-3 using seed DS only 3 m. After 2 y DS the seeds now germ. 40(12/12 in 6th w) showing the favorable effect of lengthy DS. Seeds DS 3 y germ. 40-70(4/5 in 3rd d). These results are somewhat inconsistent, but they do show that the seed remains viable for 3 y of DS.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Dryandra p. 40. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 15, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 21 days.

22% germination in 21 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Dryandra p. 136Public domain
Show the original text
Dryandra (Proteaceae). D. serra germ. 40-70D(2/9 in 3rd w). Seeds started at 70 with or without GA-3 all rotted, but the samples consisted of only 9 seeds.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Dryandra p. 136. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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