''Hakea ulicina'', commonly known as furze 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 ...

and

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 Victoria. It has stiff, long, narrow leaves and creamy-white flowers.

Description

''Hakea ulicina'' is an erect shrub or small tree growing between tall, resprouting from a lignotuber . The leaves are mostly linear, curving, rigid, long and wide with 1-3 prominent longitudinal veins on the upper and lower surface. The white flowers are borne in clusters of 6-18 in leaf axils, and the

pistil Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

long. Flowering occurs from late winter to spring and the fruit are ovate or obliquely ovate long by wide with a short, straight, pointed beak.

Taxonomy and naming

''Hakea ulicina'' was first formally described by Robert Brown in ''

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 ...

'' in 1830, based on plant material collected by William Baxter in

Wilsons Promontory Wilsons Promontory, is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria. South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia. Located at nearb ...

. Named from the Latin ''ulex'' for the genus of plants which includes furze ('' Ulex europaeus''), and believed to be a resemblance to the habit or the leaves of this species.

Distribution and habitat

Furze hakea occurs on the southern slopes of the Great Dividing Range as well as in coastal heathland. It is mostly found from the east of Port Phillip Bay in Victoria through to

Eden Eden may refer to: * Garden of Eden, the "garden of God" described in the Book of Genesis Places and jurisdictions Canada * Eden, Ontario * Eden High School Middle East * Eden, Lebanon, a city and former bishopric * Camp Eden, Iraq O ...

in south-eastern New South Wales. Additional populations occur in the

Brisbane Ranges The Brisbane Ranges National Park is a national park in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, The national park is situated approximately west of Melbourne near the town of and is managed by Parks Victoria. The park covers par ...

and Anglesea to the west of Port Phillip Bay, as well as Tasmania's Furneaux Group of islands. A similar species from South Australia and western Victoria, ''

Hakea repullulans ''Hakea repullulans'', commonly known as the furze hakea, is a flowering plant in the family Proteaceae found in Victoria and South Australia. Description ''Hakea repullulans'' is an erect shrub growing tall. It resprouts from a lignotuber o ...

'', can be distinguished by its broader leaves and presence of a lignotuber.

Conservation status

''Hakea ulicina'' is listed as "vulnerable" under the Tasmanian Government ''

Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 The ''Threatened Species Protection Act 1995'' (TSP Act), is an act of the Parliament of Tasmania that provides the statute relating to conservation of flora and fauna. Its long title is An Act to provide for the protection and management of th ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5640419 ulicina Flora of New South Wales Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia) Plants described in 1830 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)