Banksia formosa (Showy Dryandra)

Native to southwestern Western Australia, this evergreen shrub grows in open forest and kwongan heathland. Its narrow leaves are deeply divided into numerous triangular lobes and have pale, felted undersides. Rounded flowerheads appear at the branch tips, each containing many tightly packed golden-orange flowers. As the flowers open, their long styles project outward, giving the heads a pincushion-like appearance. Woody fruiting heads develop afterward, with only a small proportion of the flowers producing seed-bearing follicles. Fire kills the mature plant, so populations regenerate from seed. It is susceptible to Phytophthora root disease. Photographed in Florida.