Banksia speciosa, the showy banksia, is a large shrub or small tree in
the family Proteaceae. First collected and described by Robert Brown in
the early 19th century, the species occurs on the south coast of Western
Australia between Hopetoun and the Great Australian Bight, growing on
white or grey sand in shrubland. Reaching up to 8 m (26 ft) in height,
it is a single-stemmed plant that has thin leaves with prominent
triangular "teeth" along each margin, which are 20–45 cm
(7.9–17.7 in) long and 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) wide. The prominent
cream-yellow flower spikes appear throughout the year, developing up to
20 follicles each that store seeds until opened by bushfire. Though
widely occurring, the species is highly sensitive to dieback. The
flowers attract nectar- and insect-feeding birds, particularly
honeyeaters. In cultivation, B. speciosa grows well in a sunny location
on well-drained soil in areas with dry summers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_speciosa>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1916:
Ernest Shackleton and five companions arrived at South Georgia,
completing a 1,300 km (800 mi) lifeboat voyage (launch pictured) over
16 days to obtain rescue for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_of_the_James_Caird>
1997:
An earthquake registering 7.3 Mw struck near Qaen, Iran,
killing at least 1,567 and leaving around 50,000 others homeless.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Qayen_earthquake>
2013:
The final component of the spire of One World Trade Center in
New York City was installed, bringing the building, the tallest in the
Western Hemisphere, to a height of 1,776 feet (541 m).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_World_Trade_Center>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
abstract away:
1. (transitive) To generalize concepts or their application by using
abstraction into a more usable form.
2. (transitive, by extension) To ignore, to omit.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abstract_away>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
In choosing a theory, one should pay attention to simplicity in
hypotheses only. Simplicity in computation can be of no weight in the
balance of probabilities. Nature is not embarrassed by difficulties of
analysis. She avoids complication only in means. Nature seems to have
proposed to do much with little: it is a principle that the development
of physics constantly supports by new evidence.
--Augustin-Jean Fresnel
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Augustin-Jean_Fresnel>
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