''Hakea aculeata'', commonly known as the column hakea,
[ is a vulnerable species of the family ]Proteaceae
The Proteaceae form a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae, they make up the order Pro ...
found in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. An unusual sculptural species with dense columns of prickly foliage and plentiful clusters of strongly scented blooms in spring.
Description
''Hakea aculeata'' is a lignotuberous
A lignotuber is a woody swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem, such as by fire. Other woody plants may develop basal burls as a similar survival strategy, often as a response t ...
multi-stemmed shrub with unusual erect columnar branches growing to high. The smaller branches have long soft hairs lying on the surface. The extremely prickly leaves grow alternately or arranged in a cylindrical whorl around the stem long and wide. Leaves are hairy and widest in the middle with a central vein ending in a sharp point at the apex long. The cream, yellow and red flowers appear in profusion in axillary clusters in the upper smaller branches. The pedicel
Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:
Human anatomy
*Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures
...
s are smooth long. The style long. Fruit are smooth long and wide with a short pointed beak.
Taxonomy and naming
''Hakea aculeata'' was first formally described in 1979 by Alex George Alexander or Alex George may refer to:
*Alex George (botanist) (born 1939), Australian botanist
* Alexander L. George (1920–2006), American political scientist
* Alexander George (philosopher), American philosopher
*Alex George (motorcyclist), Sc ...
and the description was published in '' Nuytsia'' from a specimen he collected near Cunderdin.specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
(''aculeata'') is derived from the Latin word ''aculeatus'' meaning "prickly" or "sharp-pointed".
Distribution and habitat
A rare species growing in southwestern Western Australia around Brookton, Cunderdin, Merredin, Tammin and Quairading.
''Hakea aculeata'' grows in sandy loam in heath and open scrubland. An attractive feature plant requiring a sunny aspect, good drainage and is frost and drought tolerant.
Conservation status
''Hakea aculeata'' is classified as " Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife
The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...
. An endangered species known only from about 19 populations.[
]
References
*
External links
Flora of Australia Online - ''Hakea aculeata''
FloraBase: The Western Australian Flora
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5640368
aculeata
Aculeata is a subclade of Hymenoptera containing ants, bees, and stinging wasps. The name is a reference to the defining feature of the group, which is the modification of the ovipositor into a stinger. However, many members of the group cannot ...
Eudicots of Western Australia
Trees of Mediterranean climate
Plants described in 1979