Acacia pycnantha, commonly known as the golden wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae native to southeastern Australia. It grows to a height of 8 m (25 ft) and has sickle-shaped phyllodes (flattened leaf stalks) instead of true leaves. The profuse fragrant, golden flowers appear in late winter and spring, followed by long seed pods. Plants are cross-pollinated by several species of thornbill and honeyeater, which visit nectaries on the phyllodes and brush against flowers, transferring pollen between them. An understorey plant in eucalyptus forest, it is native to southern New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, and southeastern South Australia. Explorer Thomas Mitchell collected the type specimen, from which George Bentham wrote the species description in 1842. Its bark produces more tannin than any other wattle species, resulting in its commercial cultivation for production of this compound. It has been widely grown as an ornamental garden plant and for cut flower production, but has become a weed in South Africa, Tanzania, Italy, Portugal, Sardinia, India, Indonesia, and New Zealand, as well as Western Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales. It was made the official floral emblem of Australia in 1988, and has been featured on the country's postal stamps. (Full article...)
... that the newly discovered Birmingham Quran manuscript(pictured) comprises fragments of an ancient Quran that may date to near Muhammad's lifetime?
... that Paul Bujor rose from modest beginnings to become a zoology professor, a published fiction author, a member of the Romanian Academy, and president of his country's Senate?
... that Gerard Shelley defended Rasputin in December 1916 when most people were against him?
... that in one Lady's Magazine article printed in June 1775, a male doctor writes that women with red hair have "generally become the best breeders of the nation"?
1715 – Louis XIV of France(pictured), the "Sun King", died after a reign of 72 years, longer than any other French or other major European monarch at the time.
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