Banksia dallanneyi var. mellicula facts for kids

Banksia dallanneyi var. mellicula is a unique type of plant. It is a specific variety of a larger plant known as Banksia dallanneyi subsp. dallanneyi. This plant is only found in the wild in Western Australia.

What is Banksia dallanneyi var. mellicula?

This plant is a variety of Banksia dallanneyi subsp. dallanneyi. It belongs to the Banksia family, which is famous for its beautiful, often spiky, flower heads. Like other Banksia plants, it plays an important role in its local environment.

A Name Change Story

For a long time, this plant was known by a different name: Dryandra lindleyana var. mellicula. However, in 2007, two scientists, Austin Mast and Kevin Thiele, made an important discovery. They found that all the plants in the group called Dryandra were actually very closely related to the Banksia plants.

Because of this, they decided to combine all Dryandra plants into the Banksia group. This meant that Dryandra lindleyana needed a new Banksia name. This is because there was already a Banksia plant named Banksia lindleyana. So, Mast and Thiele chose a new name for the original Dryandra lindleyana and, in turn, for this variety of it. This is how it became Banksia dallanneyi var. mellicula.

Where Does it Grow?

Like all other plants in the Banksia series Dryandra group, Banksia dallanneyi var. mellicula is found only in one specific area. This area is called the South West Botanical Province of Western Australia. This means it is endemic to that region, which means it naturally grows nowhere else in the world.