Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 15, 2013

Banksia aquilonia, commonly known as the northern banksia, is a tree in the family Proteaceae native to north Queensland on Australia's northeastern coastline. With an average height of 8 m (26 ft), it has narrow glossy green leaves up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long and 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 3.9 in) high pale yellow flower spikes, known as inflorescences, appearing in autumn. As the spikes age, their flowers fall off and they develop up to 50 follicles, each of which contains 2 seeds. Alex George described the plant in his 1981 monograph of the genus Banksia as a variety of Banksia integrifolia, but later reclassified it as a separate species. The species is found in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest margins on sandy soils. Banksia aquilonia regenerates after bushfire by regrowing from epicormic buds under its bark, although regeneration from root suckers has also been recorded. It adapts readily to cultivation in humid or temperate climates, but is rarely cultivated. A fast-growing plant, it can grow in acidic soils from pH 3.5 to 6.5. Its inflorescences are energy-rich sources of food, and nectar is a food item of many animals and birds, including the endangered mahogany glider. (Full article...)

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