Alloxylon pinnatum, the Dorrigo waratah, is a tree of the family
Proteaceae found in warm-temperate rainforest of south-east Queensland
and northern New South Wales in eastern Australia. It has shiny green
leaves that are either lobed and up to 30 cm (12 in) long, or spear-
shaped and up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The prominent pinkish-red flower
heads with 50 to 140 individual flowers appear in spring and summer.
These are followed by rectangular woody seed pods, which bear two rows
of winged seeds. Known for many years as Oreocallis pinnata, it was
transferred to the new genus Alloxylon by Peter Weston and Mike Crisp in
1991; the genus contains four species previously classified in
Oreocallis that are found in Australasia. The tree's terminal tubular
flowers indicate that it is pollinated by birds. Classified as "near
threatened" under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992, the
Dorrigo waratah has proven difficult to keep alive in cultivation.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloxylon_pinnatum>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1311:
In the Battle of Halmyros, the Catalan Company defeated the
forces of Walter V, Count of Brienne, taking control of the Duchy of
Athens, a Crusader state in present-day Greece.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Halmyros>
1917:
Russian Revolution: Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate in
the February Revolution, ending three centuries of Romanov rule.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_Revolution>
1956:
The musical My Fair Lady, based on George Bernard Shaw's play
Pygmalion, debuted at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway in New York
City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Fair_Lady>
1990:
Iraqi authorities hanged Iranian freelance reporter Farzad
Bazoft on charges of spying for Israel.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farzad_Bazoft>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
slugabed:
(archaic, now chiefly Canada, US) A lazy person who lies in bed after
the usual time for getting up; a sluggard.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slugabed>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to
work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella
in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.
--Ruth Bader Ginsburg
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg>