Leaves and inflorescences; inflorescences are below the leaves. Photo © W.R.Barker

Inflorescences arising from old wood below the leaves; note the lateral pollen presenter and the buds on the floral rachis. Photo © W.R.Barker

Young fruit; note the horns at the apex, vesicles on the body and the already thickened support for the fruit. Photo © W.R.Barker

Fruit; note the horns at the apex and the thickened support at the base. Photo © W.R.Barker

Photo © G.Watton

Old fruit, horns no longer visible. Photo © W.R.Barker

Synonymy

Hakea bakeriana F.Muell. & Maiden, Macleay Mem. Vol. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 226, t. 30 (1893)

T: without locality, 1892 [sent by Maiden on 15 Sept. 1892], Anon. per Maiden s.n.; syn: MEL 671957; Wallsend, N.S.W., Sept. 1892, Mr Thornton s.n.; syn: B, NSW 190799; Newcastle District, Lower Hunter River, N.S.W., 1892 [prior to 6 Sept. 1892], Anon. per Maiden s.n.; syn: K, MEL 108130, MEL 672148; Wallsend, N.S.W., May 1893, Anon. [Thornton] s.n.; syn: AD 98714080, BRI 259159, E, K, MEL 671958, NSW 190800.

Description

Bushy dense low shrub, 1–2 m tall, lignotuberous. Branchlets densely shiny appressed-pubescent. Leaves simple, 3.2–11.5 cm long, 0.8–1.5 mm wide, ±glabrous; mucro 0.7–1 mm long.

Inflorescence erect, often arising from old wood, with 4–10 flowers; rachis 4–30 mm long, sparsely to densely pubescent; pedicels 4–11 mm long. Perianth 10.5–12 mm long, pink to crimson. Pistil 40–45 mm long; pollen presenter a lateral disc.

Fruit obliquely ovate, sometimes broadly so, 4.5–7 cm long, 3.3–4.5 cm wide, roughly and deeply wrinkled, whitish-pusticulate; beak smooth, tuberculate; apiculum obscure or to 1 mm long; horns to 4 mm long, often obscure. Seed 38–55 mm long; wing encircling seed body asymmetrically.

Distribution and ecology

Restricted to the near coastal area between Newcastle and Hawkesbury R., N.S.W. Occurs in dry sclerophyll forest or windswept heath.

To plot an up to date distribution map based on herbarium collections for this species see Australia's Virtual Herbarium. Localities outside the native range may represent cultivated or naturalised records.

Flowering time

Flowers May–Sept.

Derivation of name

Named after R.T.Baker (1854-1941), aSydney botanist noted for his work on Eucalyptus and on Australian timbers.

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Relationships

Part of Section Hakea of Bentham (as Euhakea) and characterised by a non-conical pollen presenter, leaves without obvious venation, perianths with or without hairs and fruits with or without horns. Barker et al. (1999) recognised a number of informal morphological groups within the section.

Within this section 5 species were assigned to the informal Verrucosa group by Barker et al. (1999). This group is not monophyletic but is held together by the shared morphological characteristics associated with bird pollination. All species have large pink or red flowers in which the tepals remain fused, splitting to the base only between the upper pair and they have a long pistil usually with a lateral pollen presenter.

Members of the group are H. bakeriana, H. pendens, H. purpurea, H. rhombales and H. verrucosa. While two of the species are found in SW WA and two are found in eastern Australia one of them (H. rhombales ) is found in central Australia.

Representative specimens

N.S.W.: Doyalson, A.C.Beauglehole 8140 (AD, NSW); 8 km NW of Wisemans Ferry, J.Campbell & J.Pickard 1645a (AD, NSW); Wyee-Morisset, 10 July 1965, L.H.Williams s.n. (CANB).

Weblinks

Link to PlantNET treatment for NSW.

Link to the Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) pages on Hakea. This species is covered here with an image, cultivation notes and brief notes about it.

More photographs of this species can be seen on the Australian National Botanic Gardens site.

An image with some background and cultivation information for this species can be seen on the Yallaroo site. Yallaroo is situated on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, west of Armidale.

Further illustrations

I. Holliday, Hakeas. A Field and Garden Guide 22-23 (2005)