Banksia aculeata A.S.George

Shrub to 2 m tall, without lignotuber. Bark finely fissured, grey. Stems densely tomentose, rusty, becoming glabrous and grey. Leaves: petiole 4-10 mm long; lamina broadly linear to narrowly cuneate, 4-9 cm long, 8-30 mm wide, pungently acute, channelled; margins not recurved, rigidly and pungently serrate, with lobes 5-10 mm long; both surfaces densely tomentose, glabrescent except pits in lower surface. Inflorescence 6-9 cm long; involucral bracts tomentose, persistent. Flowers reddish pink at base grading to cream including limb; style cream. Perianth 30-43 mm long including limb of 10-12 mm, glabrous. Pistil straight, 30-42 mm long, glabrous; pollen presenter narrow, 6-8 mm long, finely ribbed, minutely muricate. Old flowers persistent. Follicles up to 20, massive, broadly elliptic, 30-45 mm long, 25-30 mm high, 20-25 mm wide; valves semicircular, rugose, tomentose. Seed obovate, 40-50 mm long; seed body cuneate, 10-12 mm long, 15-18 mm wide, smooth inside, slightly rugose outside.

Found in gravelly sand or shaly soil on plains and low rises, in open to closed shrubland.