Hakea

Contents:

Common name:         ...

Conservation status: ...

Etymology:   

• The genus is named after Baron Christian Ludwig von Hake, an 18th-century German patron of botany

Flowers:                  

• The flowers are arranged in groups in leaf axils and are surrounded by bracts when in bud

• The flowers have both male and female parts and are borne on a short stalk called a pedicel

• The sepals and petals, jointly called tepals, form a curved tube which sometimes splits open as the flower develops

• The style is longer than the tepal tube and is curved before its tip is released

• When released, the tip of the style is a pollen-presenter

Fruit:                         

• Is woody and persists on the plant until burned in a bushfire or until the plant dies

• The fruit then splits open to release two winged seeds

Leaves:         

• Some species have flat leaves, whilst others have leaves which are needle-like, in which case they are sometimes divided and sometimes have a groove on the lower surface

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• Plants in the genus Hakea are shrubs or small trees

• Hakeas are similar to other plants in the Family Proteaceae, but have undivided leaves arranged alternately, sessile flowers arranged in loose groups in the axils of leaves or bracts, unlike those in the Banksia

• Hakeas are similar to species of Grevillea but are distinguished from them in having persistent, woody fruits; those of grevilleas are not persistent and not woody

• The upper and lower surfaces of the leaves of hakeas are similar (dissimilar in grevilleas)

• The ovary and style are glabrous (but hairy in grevilleas)

Habitat:   

Distribution:                  

• Hakea are endemic to Australia, where they can be found in all six states

• Some species, such as Hakea sericea, have been introduced elsewhere (New Zealand, Norfolk Island, South Africa and Portugal), where they have become naturalized and may be considered invasive

Species:                     

• World:           150

• Australia:     150

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy and naming

  • The genus Hakea was first formally described in 1797 by Heinrich Schrader and Johann Christoph Wendland and the description was published in Sertum Hannoveranum

• Horticulture

  • Hakeas are popular ornamental plants in gardens in Australia, and in many locations are as common as grevilleas and banksias. Several hybrids and cultivars have been developed, including Hakea 'Burrendong Beauty'

  • They are best grown in beds of light soil which are watered but still well drained

  • Some showy western species, such as Hakea multilineata, H. francisiana and H. bucculenta, require grafting onto hardy stock such as Hakea salicifolia for growing in more humid climates, as they are sensitive to dieback

  • Many species, particularly eastern Australian species, are notable for their hardiness, to the point they have become weedy

    • Hakea gibbosa, H. sericea, and H. drupacea (previously H. suaveolens) have been weeds in South Africa, Hakea laurina has become naturalized in the eastern states of Australia and is considered an environmental weed, and Hakea salicifolia, Hakea gibbosa, and Hakea sericea are invasive weeds in New Zealand