''Hakea minyma'', commonly known as watjula, is a species of shrub that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Australia. It has long, flat leaves, fragrant pink or white flower from late winter to spring.

Description

''Hakea minyma'' is a multi-stemmed rounded shrub to tall with smooth grey bark. The leaves are more than long and are flat with longitudinal veins ending in a blunt point. Attractive sweetly scented pink or white flowers appear in the leaf axils from August to October. The fruit are smooth, egg shaped, with an upturned beak, turning from brown to grey with age. It has a rounded habit, usually growing to between with long, narrow leaves. Cream or pink flowers are produced in axillary racemose

inflorescences An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

between August and November in its native range.

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described by botanist J.R. Maconchie in 1973 and the description was published in ''

Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia The Royal Society of South Australia (RSSA) is a learned society whose interest is in science, particularly, but not only, of South Australia. The major aim of the society is the promotion and diffusion of scientific knowledge, particularly in rel ...

''. 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 ...

''minmya'' is from the

Pitjantjatjara The Pitjantjatjara (; or ) are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert near Uluru. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are vari ...

word for woman, alludes to the shape of the fruits.

Distribution and habitat

It occurs in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. In Western Australia it grows in semi-arid areas south through Mullewa to Merredin and Coolgardie. It is found in north western

in the Central Ranges and the

Great Victoria Desert The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated desert ecoregion and interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia. History In 1875, British-born Australian explorer Ernest Giles became the first European to cross th ...

and in the south western parts of the

extending north east to the

MacDonnell Ranges The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an interim Australian bioregion broadly encompassing the mountain range, with an area of .< ...

. Hakea minyma grows on sandy loam in mallee and mulga woodlands also on spinifex dominated sandplains and dune swales and less commonly on rocky or gravelly ranges.

Conservation status

''Hakea minyma'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5640396 minyma Eudicots of Western Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of South Australia Plants described in 1973