| AdminHistory | The genus Banksia was described in 1781 by Carl von Linne Jnr., its name honoring Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) who collected the first specimens at Botany Bay in late April or early May 1770.
B. serrata L.f. is the type species, commonly called Saw Banksia or Red Honeysuckle (one time "Wattung-urree" of Port Jackson aborigines). A rough-barked, usually gnarled tree of striking appearance, it may attain fifty feet in height. It is remarkably fire resistant and its normal habitat is poor or rocky ground near the east coasts of New South Wales and Victoria. |