Hakea laurina
Pin-cushion Hakea
Pin-cushion Hakea
Wikipedia links: Angiosperms > Eudicots > Proteales > Proteaceae > Hakea laurina
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Common name: Pin-cushion Hakea
Also, kodjet or pin-cushion hakea
The Noongar name for the plant is kodjet or kojet
Conservation status: Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Hakea laurina is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to a suspected decline of at least 30% over the past three generations of the species, mainly due to land clearing for agriculture
The remnant subpopulations along road verges are threatened by further clearance for road maintenance, as well as weed invasion, pollution from phosphate fertilizers used in farming and altered fire regimes resulting in insufficient fire frequency
The species is found within the protected areas of Cape Arid National Park, Fitzgerald River National Park, Stirling Range National Park and Lake Magenta Nature Reserve
Additional conservation actions required for the species include maintaining and managing threats of the populations along road verges, as well as regular monitoring of populations
Etymology:
The genus is named after Baron Christian Ludwig von Hake, an 18th-century German patron of botany
The specific epithet is derived from the Latin laurus with reference to the resemblance of the leaves to laurel
In the language of flowers, Hakea laurina symbolises nobility and longevity
Flowers:
The inflorescence consists of 120-190 conspicuous white, deep pink or red pin cushion shaped flowers in the leaf axils
The pedicels are 5.5–9.5 mm long and smooth
The perianth is dark pink to red, the pistil 14–19.5 mm long, cream-white or occasionally red or dark pink
The flower buds are enclosed in scale-like bracts
Flowering occurs from April to July
Fruit:
The fruit are in clusters of 1-10 per axil, 2.2–3.8 cm long, 1.6–2.3 cm wide,
They are egg-shaped, smooth, occasionally with rough pitting and ending in a short beak
Leaves:
The leaves are simple, slightly blue green, flat, smooth, margins entire, lance or egg-shaped and taper to a blunt point at the tip
The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches, 7–21 cm long, 6–29 mm wide on a stem 1–2 cm long and narrowing at the base
Stem & branches:
Roots:
It does not form a lignotuber
Habit:
An upright shrub or small tree with smooth grey bark, 2.5–6.0 m high, 3–5 m) wide
Habitat:
The habitat is often sandplains, sometimes occurring on sandy clay
Distribution:
Endemic to the coastal southwest of Western Australia
The northernmost range being Narrogin and extending east to Esperance
Most recorded specimens are in the southern districts of its botanical province
Introduced populations are known to exist on Kangaroo Island and in the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia
Additional notes:
Taxonomy
Hakea laurina was first formally described 1830 by Robert Brown
It was published in Supplementum primum prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae
Cultivation
The plant, which is propagated from seeds, is used in cultivation in the eastern states of Australia, and as a hedging or street plant in America and Italy
Adaptable to a number of soil types, the plant is also tolerant of frost
The uses of this species include ornament and shading in public streets, wildlife habitat, windbreaks, and control of soil erosion
Sources of information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakea_laurina (May 2024)