''Hakea eriantha'', commonly known as tree hakea, is a shrub or small tree endemic to the east coast of Australia. It has white flowers on a woolly stem in leaf axils, long narrow leaves with reddish new growth. Found growing at higher altitudes in moist or sclerophyll '' Eucalyptus'' woodland.

Description

''Hakea eriantha'' is a dense non

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 ...

shrub or small tree tall. Leaves are linear to egg-shaped and 8 to 18.5 cm long and 1 to 30 mm wide. Young leaves are either smooth or with flattened fine hairs, ending with a sharp short point long. The inflorescence consists of 6-10 cream flowers on a stalk about long, they appear in the leaf axils. The pedicel is long and densely covered with white soft hairs extending onto the lower part of the flower. The white perianth is long and the style long. between August and November. The woody fruit is smooth long and about wide with brown blister-like protuberances ending with a short sharp point long. It is wrinkled and has beak that is about 3 mm long.

Taxonomy and naming

''Hakea eriantha'' was first formally described in 1830 by botanist Robert Brown from a specimen collected near the Hastings River by Charles Fraser. The description was published in an

addendum An addendum or appendix, in general, is an addition required to be made to a document by its author subsequent to its printing or publication. It comes from the gerundive , plural , "that which is to be added," from (, compare with memorandum, ...

to the ''

Supplementum primum Prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae ''Supplementum primum Prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae'' ("First supplement to the Prodromus of the flora of New Holland") is an 1830 supplement to Robert Brown's ''Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''. It may be referred to ...

''. The

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 ...

(''eriantha'') is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''erion'' meaning "wool" and ''anthos'' meaning "flower" referring to the hairy flowers of this hakea.

Distribution and habitat

Tree hakea occurs in ''Eucalyptus'' woodland or forest and the edge of rainforest from

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

in Queensland, southward to Gippsland in Victoria.

Use in horticulture

''Hakea eriantha'' is a fast growing species, suitable for wet cold climates as a screening or hedging plant. A food source for the

gang-gang cockatoo The gang-gang cockatoo (''Callocephalon fimbriatum'') is a parrot found in the cooler and wetter forests and woodlands of Australia, particularly alpine bushland. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Callocephalon''. Mostly mild grey ...

(''Calocephalon fimbriatum'') as they share a similar habitat. Also preferred in some districts by the yellow-tailed black cockatoo (''Calyptorhynchus funereus'') as a food source.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16753243 eriantha Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of Victoria (Australia) Plants described in 1830