Synonymy
Hakea cygna subsp. needlei Lamont in B.Lamont et al., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 94: 440 (1987).
T: 23 km S of Lake King, then 5 km W, W.A., 29 Sept. 1972, B.Lamont s.n.; holo: PERTH.
Description
Erect shrub, 0.4–2 m tall, non-sprouting. Branchlets densely sericeous at flowering. Leaves terete or trigonous, narrowly linear, 2–7.5 cm long, 1.2–2 mm wide, glabrous; marginal veins prominent; longitudinal veins 1–3, obscure above, faintly visible below.
Inflorescences a solitary axillary umbelliform raceme, with 6–14 flowers; pedicels cream white, glabrous, rarely appressed-pubescent. Perianth cream-white. Pistil 5.5–7 mm long; gland a small flap, c. 0.5 mm high.
Fruit shortly stalked, with supporting branch usually markedly thickened, obliquely ovate-elliptic, 2.1–3.7 cm long, 1.2–2 cm wide, scarcely beaked but ±prominently apiculate. Seed obliquely broadly ovate (almost triangular) to obliquely circular, 12–20 mm long; wing encircling the ±centred body, pale brown with blackish brown radiating streaks.
Distribution and ecology
Restricted to a small area with populations spread over c. 10 km just south of Lake King, W.A.
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 August to September.
Derivation of name
The epithet needlei is a reference to the shape of the leaves of this subspecies.
How the infraspecific taxa differ
Ssp. needlei differs from ssp. cygna only in its narrow needle-like leaves and its confinement to a small area south of Lake King.
Relationships
Part of the Conogynoides group recognised by Bentham and characterised by a conical pollen presenter, veined leaves, glabrous perianth and fruits without horns. Barker et al. (1999) recognised a number of informal morphological groups within the section.
One of these was the Ulicina group. This group of 21 Hakea species was combined morphologically because they all have simple flat leaves or leaves which are apparently terete but when looked at in cross section are clearly angled; these angled leaves are longitudinally furrowed and often referred to as sulcate. Furthermore the group has inflorescences with 6-80 small flowers (with 3-18 mm long pistils) and erect woody fruits.
Members of the group are H. aenigma, H. carinata, H. costata, H. cygna, H. dohertyi, H. erecta, H. gilbertii, H. invaginata, H. lehmanniana, H. marginata, H. meisneriana, H. mitchellii, H. myrtoides, H. pycnoneura, H. repullulans, H. rigida, H. scoparia, H. stenocarpa, H. sulcata, H. subsulcata and H. ulicina, mostly from southern WA but also from south-eastern Australia.
Conservation status
In Western Australia denoted as Priority One - Poorly Known: taxa which are known from one or a few (generally <5) populations which are under threat, either due to small population size, or being on lands under immediate threat, e.g. road verges, urban areas, farmland, active mineral leases, etc., or the plants are under threat, e.g. from disease, grazing by feral animals, etc. May include taxa with threatened populations on protected lands. Such taxa are under consideration for declaration as ‘rare flora’, but are in urgent need of further survey.
Atkins, K.J. (2008). Declared Rare and Priority Flora List for
Representative specimens
W.A.: near Pallarup Rocks, S of Lake King, K.Newbey 2638 (AD,
Weblinks
Link to FloraBase treatment of this species for WA.
Further illustrations
I. Holliday, Hakeas. A Field and Garden Guide 60 (2005)
J.A..Young, Hakeas of Western Australia. A Field and Identification Guide 35 (2006)