Acacia pycnantha, commonly known as the golden wattle, is a tree of the
family Fabaceae native to southeastern Australia. It grows to a height
of 8 m (25 ft) and has sickle-shaped phyllodes (flattened leaf stalks)
instead of true leaves. The profuse fragrant, golden flowers appear in
late winter and spring, followed by long seed pods. Plants are cross-
pollinated by several species of thornbill and honeyeater, which visit
nectaries on the phyllodes and brush against flowers, transferring
pollen between them. An understorey plant in eucalyptus forest, it is
native to southern New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory,
Victoria, and southeastern South Australia. Explorer Thomas Mitchell
collected the type specimen, from which George Bentham wrote the species
description in 1842. Its bark produces more tannin than any other wattle
species, resulting in its commercial cultivation for production of this
compound. It has been widely grown as an ornamental garden plant and for
cut flower production, but has become a weed in South Africa, Tanzania,
Italy, Portugal, Sardinia, India, Indonesia, and New Zealand, as well as
Western Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales. It was made the
official floral emblem of Australia in 1988, and has been featured on
the country's postal stamps.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_pycnantha>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1715:
Louis XIV of France, the "Sun King", died after a reign of 72
years, longer than any other French or other major European monarch at
the time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV_of_France>
1878:
Hired by Alexander Graham Bell, Emma Nutt became the world's
first female telephone operator.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Nutt>
1902:
The first science fiction film, titled A Trip to the Moon and
based on From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne, was released in
France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Trip_to_the_Moon>
1939:
Nazi Germany invaded Poland at Wieluń and Westerplatte,
starting World War II in Europe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Poland>
1969:
A bloodless coup d'état led by Muammar Gaddafi overthrew
Idris I of Libya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muammar_Gaddafi>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
owlful:
(literary) Full of owls.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/owlful>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Remember we're all in this alone.
--Lily Tomlin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lily_Tomlin>