''Banksia'' ser. ''Banksia'' is a valid

botanic name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

for a

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

of ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range i ...

''. As an

autonym Autonym may refer to: * Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym * Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name See also * Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...

, it necessarily contains the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of ''Banksia'', '' B. serrata'' (Saw Banksia). Within this constraint, however, there have been various circumscriptions.

According to Bentham

''Banksia'' ser. ''Banksia'' originated in 1870 as ''Banksia'' sect. ''Orthostylis''. Published by

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studi ...

in 1870, ''B.'' sect. ''Orthostylis'' consisted of those ''Banksia'' species with flat leaves with serrated margins, and rigid, erect styles that "give the cones after the flowers have opened a different aspect". The placement and circumscription of ''B.'' sect. ''Orthostylis'' in Bentham's arrangement can be summarised as follows: :''Banksia'' :: ''B.'' sect. ''Oncostylis'' (13 species) :: ''B.'' sect. ''Cyrtostylis'' (10 species) :: ''B.'' sect. ''Eubanksia'' (3 species) ::''B.'' sect. ''Orthostylis'' :::''B. latifolia'' (now '' B. robur'') :::'' B. serrata'' :::'' 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'' (1 species)

According to George 1981

In 1981, Alex George published a thorough revision of ''Banksia'' in his classic monograph ''

The genus Banksia L.f. (Proteaceae) "The genus ''Banksia'' L.f. (Proteaceae)" is a 1981 monograph by Alex George on the taxonomy of the plant genus ''Banksia''. Published by the Western Australian Herbarium as ''Nuytsia'' 3(3), it presented George's taxonomic arrangement of ''B ...

''. He retained the name ''Orthostylis'', but demoted it to series rank, placing it in ''B.'' subg. ''Banksia'' because of its elongate "flower spike", and in ''B.'' sect. ''Banksia'', because it has straight styles after

anthesis Anthesis is the period during which a flower is fully open and functional. It may also refer to the onset of that period. The onset of anthesis is spectacular in some species. In ''Banksia'' species, for example, anthesis involves the extension ...

. The series was given a rather stricter circumscription to that of Bentham: it was defined as containing only those species with a hairy

pistil Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

that is prominently curved before anthesis. The result was a series of just eight species, all of which had been included in Bentham's ''B.'' sect. ''Orthostylis''. The other eleven members of Bentham's ''Orthostylis'' were moved into other sections and series. The placement and circumscription of ''B.'' ser. ''Orthostylis'' in George's 1981 arrangement may be summarised as follows: :''Banksia'' :: ''B.'' subg. ''Banksia'' ::: ''B.'' sect. ''Banksia'' :::: ''B.'' ser. ''Salicinae'' (9 species) :::: ''B.'' ser. ''Grandes'' (2 species) :::: ''B.'' ser. ''Quercinae'' (3 species) ::::''B.'' ser. ''Orthostylis'' :::::'' B. serrata'' :::::'' B. aemula'' :::::'' B. ornata'' :::::'' B. menziesii'' :::::'' B. speciosa'' :::::'' B. baxteri'' :::::'' B. candolleana'' :::::'' B. sceptrum'' :::: ''B.'' ser. ''Crocinae'' (4 species) :::: ''B.'' ser. ''Cyrtostylis'' (12 species) :::: ''B.'' ser. ''Prostratae'' (6 species) :::: ''B.'' ser. ''Tetragonae'' (3 species) :::: ''B.'' ser. ''Coccineae'' (1 species) ::: ''B.'' sect. ''Oncostylis'' (3 series, 21 species) :: ''B.'' subg. ''Isostylis'' (2 species) The placement of '' B. sceptrum'' (Sceptre Banksia) in this series was initially tentative, as George felt that "in some respects it also shows a relationship to the series ''

Cyrtostylis ''Cyrtostylis'', commonly known as gnat orchids, is a genus of five or six species of flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to Australia and New Zealand. Cyrtostylis orchids often form dense colonies of genetically iden ...

''". '' B. aemula'' (Wallum Banksia) was also flagged as anomalous in having a conical

pollen-presenter A pollen-presenter is an area on the tip of the style in flowers of plants of the family Proteaceae on which the anthers release their pollen prior to anthesis. To ensure pollination, the style grows during anthesis, sticking out the pollen-pres ...

, and '' B. pilostylis'' (Marsh Banksia) was noted as the only species outside the series that has a hairy pistil. Overall, George accepted that the resultant series was "somewhat heterogeneous", but argued that the species had enough in common to warrant grouping them together. Since species of ''B.'' ser. ''Orthostylis'' occur in both western and eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, George suggested that it had evolved early, and was widespread across southern Australia before aridification and marine incursion established the

Nullarbor Plain The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of , 'no', and , 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its ...

as a barrier to genetic exchange. George's 1981 publication of ''B.'' ser. ''Orthostylis'' was illegal. Since the series contained '' B. serrata'' (Saw Banksia), the

of ''Banksia'', it was required under the

International Code of Botanical Nomenclature The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "trad ...

to be given the

''Banksia'' L.f. ser. ''Banksia'' . This has been recognised and corrected in later publications.

According to Thiele and Ladiges

In 1996,

Kevin Thiele Kevin R. Thiele is currently an adjunct associate professor at the University of Western Australia and the director of Taxonomy Australia. He was the curator of the Western Australian Herbarium from 2006 to 2015. His research interests include ...

and

Pauline Ladiges Pauline Yvonne Ladiges (born 1948) is a botanist whose contributions have been significant both in building the field of taxonomy, ecology and historical biogeography of Australian plants, particularly Eucalypts and flora, and in science educa ...

undertook a

cladistic Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups (" clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived char ...

analysis of morphological characters of ''Banksia'', which yielded a

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spec ...

somewhat at odds with George's taxonomic arrangement. Their

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to d ...

included a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

consisting of the members of ''B.'' ser. ''Banksia'' ''

sensu ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

'' George, together with the four members of George's ''B.'' ser. ''Crocinae'': On the basis of this clade, Thiele and Ladiges abandoned ''B.'' ser. ''Crocinae'', transferring its four taxa into ''B.'' ser. ''Banksia''. They then divided the series into two subseries, placing '' B. ornata'' (Desert Banksia), ''B. serrata'' and ''B. aemula'' in ''B.'' subser. ''Banksia'', and all other species in ''B.'' subser. ''Cratistylis''. The placement and circumscription of ''B.'' ser. ''Banksia'' in Thiele and Ladiges' arrangement may be summarised as follows: :''

'' :: ''B.'' subg. ''Isostylis'' (3 species) ::'' B. elegans'' (''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'') :: ''B.'' subg. ''Banksia'' ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Tetragonae'' (4 species) ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Lindleyanae'' (1 species) :::''B.'' ser. ''Banksia'' :::: ''B.'' subser. ''Banksia'' :::::'' B. ornata'' :::::'' B. serrata'' :::::'' B. aemula'' :::: ''B.'' subser. ''Cratistylis'' :::::'' B. candolleana'' :::::'' B. sceptrum'' :::::'' B. baxteri'' :::::'' B. speciosa'' :::::'' B. menziesii'' :::::'' B. burdettii'' :::::'' B. victoriae'' :::::'' B. hookeriana'' :::::'' B. prionotes'' :::'' B. baueri'' (''incertae sedis'') :::'' B. lullfitzii'' (''incertae sedis'') :::'' B. attenuata'' (''incertae sedis'') :::'' B. ashbyi'' (''incertae sedis'') :::'' B. coccinea'' (''incertae sedis'') ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Prostratae'' (8 species) ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Cyrtostylis'' (4 species) ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Ochraceae'' (4 species) ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Grandes'' (2 species) ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Salicinae'' (2 subseries, 11 species, 4 subspecies) ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Spicigerae'' (3 subseries, 7 species, 6 varieties) ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Quercinae'' (2 species) ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Dryandroides'' (1 species) ::: ''B.'' ser. ''Abietinae'' (4 subseries, 14 species, 8 subspecies)

According to George 1999

Thiele and Ladiges' arrangement remained current only until 1999, when George's treatment of the genus for the ''

Flora of Australia The flora of Australia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 30,000 vascular and 14,000 non-vascular plants, 250,000 species of fungi and over 3,000 lichens. The flora has strong affinities with the flora of Gondwana, ...

'' series of monographs was published. This was essentially a revision of George's 1981 arrangement, which took into account some of Thiele and Ladiges' data, but rejected their overall arrangement. With respect to ''B.'' ser. ''Banksia'', George's 1999 arrangement was identical to his 1981 arrangement, except that '' B. baxteri'' (Baxter's Banksia) and '' B. menziesii'' (Menzies Banksia) were exchanged in

phyletic order Taxonomic sequence (also known as systematic, phyletic or taxonomic order) is a sequence followed in listing of taxa which aids ease of use and roughly reflects the evolutionary relationships among the taxa. Taxonomy, Taxonomic sequences can exist ...

Recent developments

Since 1998,

Austin Mast Austin R. Mast is a research botanist. Born in 1972, he obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2000. He is currently a professor within the Department of Biological Science at Florida State University (FSU), and has been dire ...

has been publishing results of ongoing cladistic analyses of

DNA sequence DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...

data for the subtribe

Banksiinae ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range ...

. His analyses suggest a

that is rather different from previous taxonomic arrangements. All previous circumscriptions of ''B.'' ser. ''Banksia'' appear to be

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

. Bentham's circumscription is widely polyphyletic, and both George's and Thiele and Ladiges' circumscription bring together species that occur in three widely separate clades in Mast's cladogram. Thiele's ''B.'' subser. ''Banksia'' is

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

but is most closely related to ''B.'' ser. ''Ochraceae'' and ''B.'' ser. ''Prostratae''; '' B. baxteri'' (Baxter's Banksia) and '' B. speciosa'' (Showy Banksia) form a clade alongside '' B. coccinea'' (Scarlet Banksia); and the remaining species in Thiele and Ladiges' circumscription form a third clade with '' B. ashbyi'' (Ashby's Banksia) and '' B. lindleyana'' (Porcupine Banksia). Early in 2007 Mast and Thiele initiated a rearrangement of ''Banksia'' by transferring ''Dryandra'' into it, and publishing ''B.'' subg. ''Spathulatae'' for the species having spoon-shaped

cotyledon A cotyledon (; ; ; , gen. (), ) is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant, and is defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or more of which are the first to appear from a germinating seed." The numb ...

s; in this way they also redefined the

''B.'' subg. ''Banksia''. All members of ''B.'' ser. ''Banksia'' fall within Mast and Thiele's ''B.'' subg. ''Banksia'', but no more detail has been published. Mast and Thiele have foreshadowed publishing a full arrangement once DNA sampling of ''Dryandra'' is complete.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banksia ser. Banksia ser. Banksia Plant series