Proteaceae
	Genera : 62 - 75 Species: 1,000   Links to Directory of Images: Banksia Grevillea Macadamia Protea sp

Distribution: In the Southern Hemisphere, especially in Australia and South Africa.

Economic Uses: Mainly cultivated as ornmentals and for dried flowers, the family is also the source of the important Hawaiian cash crop - the macadamia nut.

Defining Features of Interest: The family is a common feature of Australia's coastal heathlands because it grows well in nutrient-poor soils.

Fossil Evidence: Fossil pollen in the Upper Cretaceous and fossil leaves in thePaleocene.