- Bentham's taxonomic arrangement of Banksia
George Bentham 's taxonomic arrangement of "Banksia " was published in 1870, in Volume 5 of Bentham's "Flora Australiensis ".cite encyclopedia | author = Bentham, George | year = 1870 | title = Banksia | encyclopedia =Flora Australiensis | volume = Volume 5: Myoporineae to Proteaceae | pages = 541–562 | location = London | publisher = L. Reeve & Co.] A substantial improvement on the previous arrangement, it would stand for over a century. It was eventually replaced byAlex George 's 1981 arrangement, published in his classic monograph "The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae) ".The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae)]Background
"Banksia" is a
genus of around 80species in theplant familyProteaceae . An iconicAustralia n wildflower and populargarden plant , they are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones". They grow in forms varying from prostrate woodyshrub s to trees up to 35 metres tall, and occur in all but the mostarid areas of Australia. As heavy producers of nectar, they are important sources of food for nectariferous animals such ashoneyeater s andhoney possum , and they are of economic importance to the nursery and cut flower industries. However they are seriously threatened by a number of processes including land clearing, frequent burning, and disease, and a number of species are rare and endangered.Specimens of "Banksia" were first collected by Sir
Joseph Banks and DrDaniel Solander , naturalists on HM Bark "Endeavour" during Lieutenant (later Captain)James Cook 's 1770 voyage to thePacific Ocean . By the time of Bentham's arrangement, 60 species were recognised. The most recent taxonomic arrangement, which had stood since 1856, was that ofCarl Meissner . Meissner's arrangement divided the genus into two sections, with "B. ilicifolia" placed alone in section "Isostylis" because of its unusual dome-shaped inflorescences, and all other species in section "Eubanksia". The latter section was divided into four series, which were based on leaf properties and were highly heterogeneous.cite journal | author = Thiele, Kevin R. and Pauline Y. Ladiges | year = 1996 | title = A Cladistic Analysis of Banksia (Proteaceae) | journal =Australian Systematic Botany | volume = 9 | issue = 5 | pages = 661–733 | doi = 10.1071/SB9960661]Bentham's arrangement
As Bentham never visited Australia, he only had access to preserved specimens. Thus he was unable to distinguish between some similar pairs of species, and so reduced the number of species to 46. He retained "Isostylis", but replaced Meissner's four series by four sections based on leaf, style and
pollen-presenter characters. Two of these, "Oncostylis" and "Eubanksia", were reasonably well-defined and homogeneous; section "Orthostylis" was somewhat heterogeneous; section "Cyrtostylis" was erected to contain the species that did not belong in the other sections, and was therefore highly heterogeneous.George Bentham's 1870 taxonomic arrangement of "Banksia" may be summarised as follows::"
Banksia "::"B." sect. "Oncostylis":::"B. pulchella":::"B. Meissneri":::"B. nutans":::"B. sphærocarpa"::::"B. sphaerocarpa" var. "glabrescens" (now "B. incana")::::"B. sphaerocarpa" var. "latifolia" (now "B. sphaerocarpa" var. "sphaerocarpa"):::"B. tricuspis":::"B. occidentalis":::"B. littoralis":::"B. ericifolia":::"B. spinulosa":::"B. collina" (now "B. spinulosa" var. "collina"):::"B. verticillata":::"B. dryandroides":::"B. Brownii"::"B." sect. "Cyrtostylis":::"B. attenuata":::"B. media":::"B. Solandri":::"B. Goodii":::"B. petiolaris":::"B. repens":::"B. prostrata" (now "B. gardneri"):::"B. grandis":::"B. quercifolia"::::"B. quercifolia" var. "integrifolia" (now "B. oreophila"):::"B. Baueri"::"B." sect. "Eubanksia":::"B. marginata":::"B. integrifolia":::"B. dentata"::"B." sect. "Orthostylis":::"B. latifolia" (now "B. robur"):::"B. serrata":::"B. æmula":::"B. ornata":::"B. coccinea":::"B. sceptrum":::"B. Menziesii":::"B. lævigata":::"B. Hookeriana":::"B. prionotes":::"B. Victoriæ":::"B. speciosa":::"B. Baxteri":::"B. marcescens" (now "B. praemorsa"):::"B. Lemanniana":::"B. Caleyi":::"B. Lindleyana":::"B. elegans":::"B. Candolleana"::"B." sect. "Isostylis":::"B. ilicifolia"::::"B. ilicifolia" var. "integrifolia" (now "B. ilicifolia")Results
Despite some shortcomings, Bentham's arrangement remained current for over a hundred years. It was only superseded in 1981, with the publication of
Alex George 's arrangement in his landmark monograph "The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae) ".Many of the species that Bentham discarded have now been reinstated. Section "Isostylis" is now maintained at subgenus level as "Banksia" subg. "Isostylis". Sections "Oncostylis" and "Eubanksia" are still maintained, but "Eubanksia" has been renamed "Banksia" sect. "Banksia" in accordance with the
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature . The other sections are no longer maintained.References
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