''Hakea victoria'', commonly known as royal hakea and lantern hakea,
is a shrub
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
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 ...
and noted for its ornamental foliage. The
Noongar
The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...
name for the plant is Tallyongut.
Description
''Hakea victoria'' has an erect slender growth habit growing to high and wide with few branches 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 ...
. The leaves are arranged alternately, with distinct veins on the upper and under side, long and wide. The leaves are rough and leathery, the margin wavy with prickly teeth and ending with a sharp point. The lower leaves are green and narrow, the upper leaves are broad, concave, more or less circular, yellow at the base and shading to green at the apex. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
is a cluster of 26-42 small cream-white, red or pink flowers in leaf axils that are almost obscured by the leaf shape. The smooth
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
...
is long,
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 and the
perianth
The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepals when ...
cream coloured. Flowering occurs from June to October. The woody fruits are about 25 mm long and between 15 and 20 mm wide.
Taxonomy and naming
The type specimen of ''Hakea victoria'' was collected near West Mount Barren
West Mount Barren is part of the Fitzgerald River National Park located between Bremer Bay and Hopetoun on the south coast of Western Australia the coordinates of the summit of West Mount Barren are .
West Mount Barren, along with East Mount Bar ...
(located in what is now Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in the Shires of Ravensthorpe and the Jerramungup in Western Australia, southeast of Perth. The park is recognised on Australia's National Heritage List for its outstanding diversity of native ...
) by botanist James Drummond and was first described by him in 1847 in ''The Inquirer'' newspaper. 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 ...
is named in honour of Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
by the naturalist John Gilbert.[
]
Distribution and habitat
Royal hakea grows in quartzitic
Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...
or lateritic
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 ...
sand mostly in rocky locations in the coastal region between Albany and Esperance, including the Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in the Shires of Ravensthorpe and the Jerramungup in Western Australia, southeast of Perth. The park is recognised on Australia's National Heritage List for its outstanding diversity of native ...
.
Cultivation
The species requires a well-drained, sunny situation and will tolerate moderate frost. Plants are not suited to humid conditions; even if they survive, foliage colour will be poor. Propagation is easy by seed, but quite difficult from cuttings.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3125828
victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
Eudicots of Western Australia
Plants described in 1847
Taxa named by James Drummond (botanist)