Hakea epiglottis

Location & distribution maps

Common name:         ...

Conservation status: ...

Etymology:   

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

• The specific epithet (epiglottis) is derived from the Ancient Greek words epi meaning "upon" or "on" and glottis meaning "mouth of the windpipe" perhaps a reference to "a perceived resemblance of the fruit to the upper respiratory system"

Flowers:                  

• The inflorescence on male plants have 2-8 flowers whereas female plants 1-3 flowers

• The bracts are 3–4 mm long on a stem about 1 mm long

• The flower stems are 3.5–5 mm long with flat white silky hairs extending on to sepals that are 2.5–4 mm long and pale yellow inside

• The pistil is recurved 5.5–6.5 mm long

• The style has a small pollen disc which is concave in male flowers but with a conical protuberance in female flowers

• Clusters of white through to bright yellow flowers appear in leaf axils in spring

Fruit:                         

• Fruit are shaped like the letter 'S' and 1.4–2.6 cm long

• Unisexual populations have male plants which do not produce fruit but flowers that produce pollen

• Female populations have fruit with no pollen

• There are recorded populations of bisexual plants where the fruit occur together with flowers producing pollen

Leaves:         

• Needle-like leaves are 1.5–11 cm long and 1–2 mm wide

• The young leaves are covered in rust-coloured hairs, which distinguishes this species from the similar Hakea megadenia

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• Grows to 3 m tall

Habitat:   

• Peaty heath

Distribution:                  

• A common species found in all but the north-east coast of Tasmania

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy and naming

  • The species was first formally described by Jacques Labillardière in Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen in 1805

  • There are two recognised subspecies:

    • Hakea epiglottis subsp. epiglottis has white hairs on the stalks and base of the flower; a more widely spread subspecies found in all but the north-eastern part of Tasmania

    • Hakea epiglottis subsp. milliganii has yellowish white hairs on the stalk but has rusty coloured hairs near the base of the flower; has a more restricted distribution, confined to the west coast of Tasmania between Zeehan and Macquarie Harbour

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakea_epiglottis (2024)