Bentham's taxonomic arrangement of Banksia facts for kids

George Bentham's way of organizing Banksia plants was first shared in his book Flora Australiensis.

George Bentham's taxonomic arrangement of Banksia is a special way of grouping and naming Banksia plants. It was published in 1870 in a book called Flora Australiensis, written by George Bentham. This new system was much better than older ones. It was used for more than 100 years! Later, in 1981, Alex George created a new system, which he shared in his important book The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae).

About Banksia Plants

Banksia is a group, or genus, of about 80 different species of plants. They belong to the plant family called Proteaceae. These plants are famous Australian wildflowers. They are also popular garden plants. You can easily spot them by their unique flower spikes and "cones" that hold their seeds.

Banksia plants come in many shapes. Some are low-growing, woody shrubs. Others are tall trees, reaching up to 35 metres high. You can find them almost everywhere in Australia, except in the driest areas. Banksia plants make a lot of nectar. This sweet liquid is an important food source for animals like honeyeater birds and honey possums. They are also important for businesses that grow plants (nurseries) and sell cut flowers (florists).

Sadly, some Banksia species are in danger. They are threatened by things like land clearing, frequent fires, and diseases. Because of this, some species are now considered rare or endangered.

How Banksia Were First Studied

The first Banksia plants were collected in 1770. This happened during Lieutenant James Cook's voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Naturalists Sir Joseph Banks and Dr Daniel Solander gathered the specimens while on the ship HM Bark Endeavour.

By the time George Bentham created his system, people knew about 60 different Banksia species. The system used before Bentham's was made by Carl Meissner in 1856. Meissner's system divided Banksia into two main groups, called sections. One section, Isostylis, only had the B. ilicifolia plant. This was because its flower heads were unusual and dome-shaped. All other species were in the section Eubanksia. This larger section was then split into four smaller groups, or series. These groups were based on leaf shapes, but they weren't always very clear or organized.

Bentham's New System

George Bentham never actually visited Australia. This meant he could only study dried plant samples. Because of this, he sometimes couldn't tell the difference between very similar species. So, he ended up listing fewer species, only 46 in total.

Bentham kept the Isostylis section for B. ilicifolia. But he changed Meissner's four series. Instead, he created four new sections. These new sections were based on features of the plant's leaves, styles (part of the flower), and pollen-presenters (where pollen is held).

Two of Bentham's sections, Oncostylis and Eubanksia, were quite clear and well-organized. The section Orthostylis was a bit mixed. The section Cyrtostylis was created for all the species that didn't fit into the other groups. This made it a very mixed and varied section.

Here are the main groups Bentham created:

• Banksia
  • B. sect. Oncostylis (This group included species like B. pulchella and B. ericifolia.)
  • B. sect. Cyrtostylis (This group included species like B. attenuata and B. grandis.)
  • B. sect. Eubanksia (This group included species like B. marginata and B. integrifolia.)
  • B. sect. Orthostylis (This group included species like B. serrata and B. Menziesii.)
  • B. sect. Isostylis (This group only contained B. ilicifolia.)

What Happened Next

Even with some small problems, Bentham's way of organizing Banksia was used for over a hundred years! It was finally replaced in 1981. That's when Alex George published his new system in his important book, The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae).

Many of the species that Bentham had combined or removed have now been recognized again as separate species. The section Isostylis is still used today, but it's now called a "subgenus" (a larger group). The sections Oncostylis and Eubanksia are also still used. However, Eubanksia was renamed to Banksia sect. Banksia to follow international rules for naming plants. The other sections Bentham created are no longer used in the same way.