Banksia blechnifolia is a species of flowering plant that was first described by Victorian state botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1864. Its leaves are reminiscent of the fern genus Blechnum. B. blechnifolia is one of several closely related species that grow as prostrate shrubs, with horizontal stems and thick, leathery upright leaves. The red-brown flower spikes are up to 20 centimetres (8 in) high and appear from September to November. As the spikes age, they turn grey and develop as many as 25 woody seed pods. Insects such as bees, wasps, ants and flies pollinate the flowers. Found in sandy soils in the south coastal region of Western Australia in the vicinity of Lake King, B. blechnifolia is non-lignotuberous, regenerating by seed after bushfire. The plant adapts readily to cultivation, growing in well-drained sandy soils in sunny locations. It is suitable for rockeries and as a groundcover.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_blechnifolia
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1875:
Billy the Kid was arrested for the first time after stealing clothes from a laundryman, beginning his life as an infamous American outlaw and gunman. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_the_Kid
1944:
World War II: The Soviet Army completed the Tallinn Offensive, driving German forces out of Estonia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallinn_Offensive
2010:
Scottish aid worker Linda Norgrove and three Afghan colleagues were kidnapped by members of the Taliban in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Linda_Norgrove
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
learn the ropes: 1. (originally nautical, informal) To learn the basics or master introductory knowledge. 2. (informal) To learn some skill requiring specialist knowledge. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/learn_the_ropes
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Every thinking of being, all philosophy, can never be confirmed by "facts," ie, by beings. Making itself intelligible is suicide for philosophy. Those who idolize "facts" never notice that their idols only shine in a borrowed light. They are also meant not to notice this; for thereupon they would have to be at a loss and therefore useless. But idolizers and idols are used wherever gods are in flight and so announce their nearness. --Martin Heidegger https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Heidegger