banksia

[bangk-see-uh]

noun

any Australian shrub or tree of the genus Banksia, having alternate leaves and dense, cylindrical flower heads.

Nearby words

Origin of banksia

1782; < New Latin; named after Sir Joseph Banks; see -ia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for banksia

There are banksia bushes with their sawtooth-edge leaves and dried seed cones like multiple jabbering mouths.
Robert Hughes: A Fierce Critic and Powerful Voice Now Silenced|Simon Schama|August 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Next, what are those bright little buds, like salmon-coloured Banksia roses half expanded, sitting closely on the stone?
Glaucus|Charles Kingsley
It was scarcely possible to see more than fifty yards ahead of you, so thickly grew the banksia trees.
The Bushman|Edward Wilson Landor
Honey is procured by steeping the cones of the Banksia or other melliferous flowers in water.
Journals Of Expeditions Of Discovery Into Central Australia And Overland|Edward John Eyre

The banksia, the casuarina, and the hardy xanthorrhoea reminded us of former toils on the opposite side of these ranges.
Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Vol 2 (of 2)|Thomas Mitchell
One species was found growing on the stump of a Banksia in Western Australia.
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses|Mordecai Cubitt Cooke

British Dictionary definitions for banksia

banksia

noun

any shrub or tree of the Australian genus Banksia, having long leathery evergreen leaves and dense cylindrical heads of flowers that are often red or yellowish: family ProteaceaeSee also honeysuckle (def. 3)

Word Origin for banksia

C19: New Latin, named after Sir Joseph Banks

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012