Banksia heliantha
Encyclopedia
Banksia heliantha, commonly known as Oak-leaved Dryandra, is a shrub
endemic to Western Australia
.
It was known as Dryandra quercifolia until 2007, when all Dryandra species were transferred to Banksia
by Austin Mast
and Kevin Thiele
. As there was already a plant named Banksia quercifolia
(Oak-leaved Banksia), Mast and Thiele had to choose a new specific epithet; their choice, "heliantha" is from the Greek
helios ("sun") and anthos ("flower"), in reference to the large, bright yellow inflorescences.
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
endemic to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
It was known as Dryandra quercifolia until 2007, when all Dryandra species were transferred to Banksia
Banksia
Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...
by Austin Mast
Austin Mast
Austin R. Mast is a research botanist. Born in 1972, he obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2000. He is currently an associate professor within the Department of Biological Science at Florida State University , and has been director of FSU's since August 2003.One of his...
and Kevin Thiele
Kevin Thiele
Kevin R. Thiele is curator of the Western Australian Herbarium. His research interests include the systematics of the plant families Proteaceae, Rhamnaceae and Violaceae, and the conservation ecology of grassy woodland ecosystems...
. As there was already a plant named Banksia quercifolia
Banksia quercifolia
The Oak-leaved Banksia is a species of shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It occurs on the south coast of Western Australia from D'Entrecasteaux National Park in the west to Mount Manypeaks in the east.-Ecology:...
(Oak-leaved Banksia), Mast and Thiele had to choose a new specific epithet; their choice, "heliantha" is from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
helios ("sun") and anthos ("flower"), in reference to the large, bright yellow inflorescences.