Banksia prionotes is a species of shrub or tree of the genus Banksia in the Proteaceae family. It is native to the southwest of Western Australia and can reach up to 10 m (30 ft) in height. This species has serrated, dull green leaves and large, bright flower spikes, initially white then opening to a bright orange. The tree is a popular garden plant and also of importance to the cut flower industry. Banksia prionotes was first described in 1840 by English botanist John Lindley, probably from material collected by James Drummond the previous year. There are no recognised varieties, although it has been known to hybridise with Banksia hookeriana. Widely distributed in south-west Western Australia, B. prionotes is found from Shark Bay (25° S) in the north, south as far as Kojonup (33°50′S). It grows exclusively in sandy soils, and is usually the dominant plant in scrubland or low woodland. Pollinated by birds, it provides food for a wide array of vertebrate and invertebrate animals in the autumn and winter months. It is an important source of food for honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), and is critical to their survival in the Avon Wheatbelt region, where it is the only nectar-producing plant in flower at some times of the year.
Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_prionotes
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1763:
Pontiac's Rebellion: The local Ojibwe captured Fort Michilimackinac in present-day Mackinaw City, Michigan after diverting the garrison's attention with a game of stickball, then chasing a ball into the fort. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Michilimackinac
1848:
As part of the Pan-Slavism movement, the Prague Slavic Congress began in Prague, one of the few times that voices from all Slav populations of Europe were heard in one place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Slavic_Congress%2C_1848
1967:
German university student Benno Ohnesorg was killed during a protest in West Berlin against the visit of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, sparking the formation of the militant group Movement 2 June. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benno_Ohnesorg
1995:
United States Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady was shot down by a Bosnian Serb Army SA-6 surface-to-air missile while patrolling the NATO no-fly zone over Bosnia in an F-16, but he was able to eject safely and was then rescued six days later. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrkonji%C4%87_Grad_incident
2003:
The Mars Express space probe, the first planetary mission of the European Space Agency, was launched. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Express
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
interpose (v): 1. To insert something (or oneself) between other things. 2. To interrupt a conversation by introducing a different subject or making a comment http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/interpose
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Poet's License! — 't is the right,
Within the rule of duty, To look on all delightful things
Throughout the world of beauty.
To gaze with rapture at the stars That in the skies are glowing;
To see the gems of perfect dye
That in the woods are growing, — And more than sage astronomer,
And more than learned florist,
To read the glorious homilies Of Firmament and Forest. --John Godfrey Saxe http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Godfrey_Saxe