C 738 ] 



Banksia Ericefolia. Heath-Leaved 



Banksia. 



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Oafs and Order. 



Tetrandria Monogynia. 



Generic Character. 



Amentum fquamatum. Cor. 4-petala. Anther* in cavitate 

 laminarum feffiles. Cap/, bivalvis.' Sem. bipartibile. L.fup. 



Specific Charatler and Synonyms. 



BANKSIA ericafolia ; fbliis approximatis acerofis truncato- 

 emarginatis glabris. Linn. Suppl. p. 127. Willd. 

 Sp. PL x. 536. Bot. Repof. 156. Cavan. Icon, 

 vol. 6. /. 538. 



The Bankfia, a genus fo named in honour of its firft dif- 

 coverer, the Prefident of the Royal Society, in a voyage 

 round the world with Captain Cook, is very nearly allied to 

 Protea, and like that appears to contain a great number of 

 fpecies of very various forms and fize. Our prefent plant 

 forms a handfome fhrub, thrives freely, and has flowered in 

 feveral collections ; our drawing was taken from that of 

 E. J. A. Woodford, Efq. at Vauxhall, in April 1802. 



The beauty of the flower confifts very much in the length 

 of the ftyle ; which, from the ftigma being long retained 

 within the anthers, is fancifully bent into a loop : when the 

 efflorefcence is complete, the petals expand and let the ftigma 

 at liberty. The flower is confidered by fome as monopetalous, 

 but the petals, in Banksia ericafolia at leaft, adhere fo (lightly 

 at the bafe only, that they can hardly be kept from feparating 

 when removed from the receptacle. The germen in this fpe- 

 cies is furrounded with brown hairs very like that of many of 

 the Proteae. We could not difcover any other calyx than 

 the fquama of the Amentum, in no refpett like that defcribed 

 by G/ertner. A native of New-Holland. By no means 

 tender, and may be kept in a greenhoufe with Proteas and 

 other Cape fhrubs. Propagated by feeds and by cuttings. 



