Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates/Banksia grossa/archive1

Banksia grossa is a shrub in the plant family Proteaceae endemic to Southwest Australia. It is one of 14 species of banksia of the series Abietinae, which bear round or oval inflorescences. Collected in 1965, it was described in 1981 by Alex George. Its thick leaves and large seeds distinguish it from other Abietinae. Found in sand or sand over laterite among heath between Eneabba and Badgingarra in Western Australia, it grows as a many-stemmed shrub to 1 m (3 ft) high with narrow leaves and oval brownish flower spikes up to 10 cm (4 in) high, composed of hundreds of individual flowers. Flowering occurs throughout the cooler months. Old flower spikes develop woody follicles which bear the seeds. The plant takes 5 to 7 years to reach maturity and begin flowering. After bushfire, Banksia grossa regenerates from its woody lignotuber; bushfires also stimulate the release of seeds, which germinate after disturbance. Visitors to inflorescences include insects and the nocturnal white-tailed dunnart. (Full article...)