''Hakea multilineata'', commonly known as grass-leaved hakea, is a shrub in 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 ...

''. It 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 an area in the Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance regions of

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 ...

. It has pink to red long

racemes A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

in upper leaf axils and leathery linear leaves.

Description

''Hakea multilineata'' is an upright shrub typically grows to a height of and does not form a

lignotuber 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 ...

. Flowering occurs from June to September producing vibrant pink flowers, which are known for attracting local birds. This flora is also evergreen, retaining its leaves all year round providing an excellent addition to backyards and gardens. The mid-green leaves are flat, broad and linear, long to wide with visible longitudinal veins ending in a rounded tip. The smooth fruit are

ovoid An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one or ...

in shape tapering to a small beak. They may be found in clusters or spaced along the branchlets. ''Hakea multilineata'' is tolerant of medium frosts and grows best in an open sunny position that is very well drained.

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described by Swiss botanist

Carl Meisner Carl Daniel Friedrich Meissner (1 November 1800 – 2 May 1874) was a Swiss botanist. Biography Born in Bern, Switzerland on 1 November 1800, he was christened Meisner but later changed the spelling of his name to Meissner. For most of his 40 ...

in 1848 and the description was published in ''

Plantae Preissianae ''Plantae preissianae sive enumeratio plantarum quas in australasia occidentali et meridionali-occidentali annis 1838-1841 collegit Ludovicus Preiss'', more commonly known as ''Plantae preissianae'', is a book written by Johann Georg Christian Leh ...

''. Its name is said to be derived from the Latin ''multus'' - "many", and ''linea'' - "fine, parallel lines", referring to the veins in the leaf. The classical Latin ''linea'' is not a plural, but a singular, meaning "line".Lewis, C.T. & Short, C. (1879). ''A Latin dictionary founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Distribution and habitat

Grass-leaved hakea grows from Dalwallinu and south to

Ravensthorpe Ravensthorpe may refer to any of the following places. England *Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury in West Yorkshire **Ravensthorpe railway station, Dewsbury *Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire *Ravensthorpe, Peterborough in Cambridgeshire *Ravensthorpe, an histor ...

and east to the

Shire of Yilgarn The Shire of Yilgarn is a local government area in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia about east of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of Southern Cross. The main ind ...

in scrubland or low woodland on

laterite Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

ridges or sandy to gravelly loams. An ornamental species and spectacular in bloom, attracting nectar-loving birds.

Conservation status

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

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18079862 multilineata Eudicots of Western Australia Plants described in 1848