Banksia integrifolia is a species of tree that grows in Australia between Victoria and Central Queensland. One of the most widely distributed Banksia species, it has a broad range of habitats, from coastal dunes to mountains. It is highly variable in form, but most often encountered as a tree up to 25 metres (82 ft) in height. Its leaves have dark green upper surfaces and white undersides. It is one of the four Banksia species collected by Sir Joseph Banks in early 1770, and one of the four species published in 1782 as Carolus Linnaeus the Younger's original description of the genus. A hardy and versatile garden plant, B. integrifolia is widely planted in Australian gardens. It is a popular choice for parks and streetscapes, and has been used for bush revegetation and stabilisation of dunes. Its hardiness has prompted research into its suitability for use as a rootstock in the cut flower trade, but has also caused concerns about its potential to become a weed outside its natural habitat. Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_integrifolia> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1882: U.S. president Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act into law (cartoon pictured), implementing a ban on Chinese immigration to the United States that remained for 61 years. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act> 1915: Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: SY Aurora, anchored in McMurdo Sound, broke loose during a gale and began a 312-day drift in sea ice. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SY_Aurora%27s_drift> 1988: Widerøe Flight 710 crashed into the fog-covered mountain of Torghatten in Brønnøy, Norway, killing all 36 people on board. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wider%C3%B8e_Flight_710> 2008: British barrister Mark Saunders was shot dead by police after a five-hour siege at his home in Chelsea, London. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Mark_Saunders> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: staid: 1. Not capricious or impulsive; sedate, serious, sober. 2. (rare) Always fixed in the same location; stationary. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/staid> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:   Dreams are windows into our multiversal selves.   --Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Doctor_Strange_in_the_Multiverse_of_Madness>