Habit, in cultivation. Photo © L. Haegi

Branch and distinctive leaves. Photo © W.R.Barker

Inflorescence within leaf. Photo © L. Haegi

Fruits within leaf. Photo © L. Haegi

Illustration of H. conchifolia from Hooker's Icones Plantarum t. 432 (1842).

Detail of flowers from illustration of H. conchifolia from Hooker's Icones Plantarum t. 445 (1842).

Synonymy

Hakea conchifolia Hook., Icon. Pl. 5: t. 432 (1841)

Hakea cucullata ß conchifolia (Hook.) Meisn., in J.G.C.Lehmann, Pl. Preiss. 1: 567 (1845). T: Swan River, W.A., s.d. [Nov. 1839 despatch to Hooker], J.Drummond 611; syn: BM, G, K, MEL.

[Hakea cucullata auct. non R.Br.: C.D.F.Meisner, in J.G.C.Lehmann, Pl. Preiss. 1: 566 (1845); G.Bentham, Fl. Austral. 5: 521 (1870)]

Description

Rounded shrub, 0.5–1 m tall, lignotuberous. Branchlets villous, hirsute and tomentose with fading red-brown hairs at flowering. Leaves of similar shape throughout, very broadly ovate to cordate, patent to decurved, folded adaxially almost in half along midrib (with curved
sides), at times overlapping and obscuring stem, 3–7.5 cm long, 30–70 mm wide when spread open, sharply crenate-denticulate, acuminate, grey-green.

Inflorescences axillary with 15–18 flowers; pedicels 2.7–3 mm long, glabrous. Perianth creamy white, rarely pale pink. Pistil 24–28 mm long; gland present.

Fruit solitary, obliquely ovate to elliptic, 2–2.5 cm long, 1–1.2 cm wide. Seed obliquely elliptic to obovate, indented at base, 18–20 mm long; wing extending narrowly down one side of body only, blackish brown throughout.

Distribution and ecology

Occurs on the coastal sand plains from Perth to Dongara, W.A. Usually in low open myrtaceous heath on white sand over laterite.

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 June–Aug.

Derivation of name

From concha, Latin for the shell of a mollusc, and folius, Latin for leaf, a reference to the shell-shaped leaves of this plant.

The genus Hakea was named by Schrader & Wendland in December 1797 just predating the publication of the name Conchium by James Smith in May 1798. Although not indicated in the protologue it has been assumed that the name Conchium was a reference to the resemblance of the fruit of the species concerned, Hakea dactyloides , to a shell.

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Relationships

Part of Sect. Conogynoides recognised by Bentham (1870) and characterised by a conical pollen presenter, veined leaves, glabrous perianth and fruits without horns.

Within this section 3 species were assigned to the informal Cucullata group by Barker et al. (1999). This group of Hakea species was combined morphologically because they all have mature leaves which are cupped about the stem in some way, long pistils and down-curved fruits.

Species are H. cucullata, H. conchifolia and H. smilacifolia , all from SW WA.

Representative specimens

W.A.: 102 mile peg [164.2 km] on road to Eneabba, K.M.Allan 23 (PERTH); Palm Terrace, Forrestfield, R.J.Cranfield 34 (NSW, PERTH); 28 km E of Jurien on road to Brand Hwy, L.Haegi 2672 & P.S.Short (AD, MEL, PERTH).

Weblinks

Link to FloraBase treatment of this species for WA.

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

Further illustrations

A.S.George, Introd. Proteaceae W. Australia pl. 113 (1984).

I. Holliday, Hakeas. A Field and Garden Guide 44-45 (2005)

J.A..Young, Hakeas of Western Australia. A Field and Identification Guide 27 (2006)