Old Man Banksia

This plant was given the scientific name Banksia serrata by Carl Linnaeus's son, in honour of the great eighteenth-century naturalist Sir Joseph Banks.

Banks was the first European to see the plant growing in its native Australia, while on the circumnavigation voyage aboard HMS Endeavour (1768–1771). Banks brought it and specimens of other closely related new species back to England, where the new genus, Banksia, was named after him by Carl Linnaeus Jr.

The artwork of Banksia (far right) was prepared from a drawing by Sydney Parkinson, a young and talented artist on board Endeavour who helped produce 18 volumes of plant drawings from the voyage.

In total Banks collected more than 3,000 plants from the newly discovered land, about 900 of which were new to science. The specimens Banks collected accounted for approximately 110 new genera and 1,300 new species. Some 75 different species bear his name, as do a group of islands near Vanuatu in the Pacific and a peninsula in New Zealand. A suggestion was made to name Australia 'Banksia', but it was not adopted.

Banks is probably best remembered for his botanical legacy. He sponsored numerous voyages, enabling young naturalists and artists to record their discoveries. As King George III's advisor at Kew, he also introduced countless plants to the UK and developed an interest in the economic value of species, for example identifying Assam as a prime spot to cultivate tea for export home.

Banks's famous plant collection is now held at the Museum, along with insects and shells that he acquired throughout his life. These are all still valued research tools, as well as important historical artefacts.

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