''Banksia'' ser. ''Dryandra'' is a series of 94 species of shrub to small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the plant genus ''

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. ''Banksias'' rang ...

''. It was considered a separate genus named ''Dryandra'' until early 2007, when it was merged into ''Banksia'' on the basis of extensive molecular and morphological evidence that ''Banksia'' was

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

with respect to ''Dryandra''.

Taxonomy

The dryandras were named in honour of Swedish botanist Jonas C. Dryander. The first specimens of a ''Dryandra'' were collected by Archibald Menzies, surgeon and naturalist to the

Vancouver Expedition The Vancouver Expedition (1791–1795) was a four-and-a-half-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy. The British expedition circumnavigated the globe and made contact with five continen ...

. At the request of Joseph Banks, Menzies collected natural history specimens wherever possible during the voyage. During September and October 1791, while the expedition were anchored at

King George Sound King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...

, he collected numerous plant specimens, including the first specimens of '' B. sessilis'' (Parrotbush) and '' B. pellaeifolia''. Upon Menzies' return to England, he turned his specimens over to Banks; as with most other specimens in Banks' library, they remained undescribed for many years. Further specimens were collected in late 1792 by

Jacques Labillardière Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière (28 October 1755 – 8 January 1834) was a French biologist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition. He pub ...

, one of five naturalists in Bruni d'Entrecasteaux's expedition in search of the lost expedition of Jean-François de La Pérouse. While ashore west of

Esperance Bay Esperance Bay is a bay on the south coast of Western Australia. Nominally located at , it is the site of the town of Esperance. The bay was discovered on 9 December 1792 by a French expedition under Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, which sailed in sear ...

between 11 and 18 December, Labillardière collected the first specimens of '' B. nivea'' (Honeypot Dryandra).

Description

They are arguably among the most attractive and showy of all members of Proteaceae. ''Banksia'' ser. ''Dryandra'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

e of some Lepidoptera species, including the Dryandra moth.

Distribution and habitat

Endemic to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

, ''Dryandra'' occurs virtually throughout the South West Botanic Province, and also, to a much lesser degree, in southwest parts of the Eremaean Province.

Cultivation

The species are found only in the southwestern corner of

. They have never been popular among gardeners among the rest of Australia due to their dislike of the humid and subtropical conditions which dominate the east coast.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banksia ser. Dryandra Plant series Endemic flora of Western Australia Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)