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From today's featured article
Banksia aculeata
Banksia aculeata, the prickly banksia, is a plant of the family Proteaceae native
to the Stirling Range in the southwest of Western Australia. A bushy shrub up to 2
m (7 ft) tall, it has fissured grey bark on its trunk and branches, and dense
foliage and leaves with very prickly serrated margins. Its unusual pinkish, pendent
(hanging) flower spikes, known as inflorescences, are generally hidden in the
foliage and appear during the early summer. Unlike many other banksia species, it
does not have a woody base, or lignotuber. Although it was collected in the 1840s
by the naturalist James Drummond, it was not formally described until 1981, in Alex
George's monograph of the genus. A rare plant, B. aculeata is found in gravelly
soils in elevated areas. Native to a habitat burnt by periodic bushfires, it is
killed by fire and regenerates from seed afterwards. In contrast to other Western
Australian banksias, it appears to have some resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi,
a soil-borne water mould. (Full article...)

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Did you know...
Splash tetra
Splash tetra
... that the splash tetra (pictured) lays its eggs on a leaf above the surface of
the water?
... that Lin Haiyun was attacked by Red Guards who called his ministry the "black
headquarters" of revisionism?
... that users of Mary-Kate and Ashley: Pocket Planner can send "G-mail" through
the Game Boy Color's infrared port?
... that Donald Seldin transformed the University of Texas Southwestern Medical
Center from a dilapidated barracks into a world-class medical center with five
Nobel laureates?
... that the 60th Ariel Awards includes three female filmmakers nominated for the
Best Director award?
... that the footballer Ken Hodgkisson was the first player ever to be used as a
substitute by Walsall?
... that a pumping station on the River Jordan used a section of the damaged funnel
from the SS Great Eastern as a water filter?
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In the news
Mark Williams in 2015
Mark Williams
The Supreme Court of the Philippines removes Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno
from office.
A dam failure in Kenya kills at least 47 people and leaves more than 2,000 others
homeless.
American retailer Walmart announces a deal to acquire the Indian electronic
commerce company Flipkart for about US$16 billion.
Mark Williams (pictured) defeats John Higgins to win the World Snooker Championship
in Sheffield, England.
After five years of postponement, a general election concludes in Lebanon, with
Hezbollah and its allies increasing their share of seats in the Parliament.
Recent deaths: Peter Mayer Scott Hutchison Graham Lovett Anne V. Coates
Other recent events Nominate an article
On this day...
May 13
Ben Carlin
Ben Carlin
1862 – Robert Smalls escaped from slavery in Charleston, South Carolina, by
commandeering the CSS Planter and sailing it from Confederate-controlled waters to
the U.S. blockade.
1888 – Princess Isabel of the Empire of Brazil signed the Lei Áurea into law,
formally abolishing slavery in Brazil.
1913 – Russian-American Igor Sikorsky flew the world's first four-engine fixed-wing
aircraft, the Russky Vityaz, which he designed himself.
1958 – Australian Ben Carlin (pictured) became the only person to circumnavigate
the world in an amphibious vehicle, having travelled over 80,000 km (50,000 mi) by
land and sea.
2008 – Nine bombs placed by the previously unknown terrorist group Indian
Mujahideen exploded in 15 minutes in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, killing 80 and
injuring more than 200 people.
Cornelis Schut (b. 1597) · Antonia Ferrín Moreiras (b. 1914) · H. Trendley Dean (d.
1962)

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Today's featured picture
Taraxacum officinale
Taraxacum officinale is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the family
Asteraceae (Compositae). Commonly known as the dandelion, it can be found growing
in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and
shores of waterways, and other areas with moist soils. Although widely considered a
weed, especially in lawns and along roadsides, it is sometimes used as a medical
herb and in food preparation. The species is well known for its yellow flower heads
that turn into round balls of silver tufted fruits that disperse in the wind.

Photograph: Petar Milošević

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