In this picture there are literally hundreds of flowers. What we are seeing is called an "inflorescence", which is an arrangement of many flowers around a central woody axis.

Each little spike (perianth) is actually a flower, which is capable of being fertilised and producing seed. Depending on the species of Banksia, there may be hundreds or even thousands of perianth on the one flower spike.

The leaves are leathery, being dark green on the top and white/grey/silver on the underside. The Coast Banksia's leaves are smooth edged, whilst most other Banksias have serrated leaves. The leaves are arranged in spirals (whorls), at regular intervals along the branch.

Once the flowers have finished blooming and their petals have fallen, then the cone remains.

It is now apparent that not all flowers on this spike were fertilised. Where each flower was fertilized, the follice begins to swell, and becomes green and furry.

Each follicle will contain one or two seeds, which are separated by a woody membrane. The seeds are black and have a paperlike edge to them. This edge increases the surface area of the seeds, without adding much weight, which allows them to be blown further from the parent tree.

The cone has now dried, and the seeds matured. The seeds may stay locked away safely in this hard wooden capsule for several years.

It takes heat to cause the pods to split open and shed their seed into the wind.

This picture shows the opened seed pods, and their contents long gone.