Synonymy

Hakea denticulata R.Br., Suppl. Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl. 28 (1830)

Hakea glabella var. denticulata (R.Br.) Meisn., in J.G.C.Lehmann, Pl. Preiss. 1: 564 (1845), p.p. (excluding Preiss & Drummond specimens). T: south west coast of New Holland, King George Sound, [Western Australia], 1828, W. Baxter s.n.; ?holo: BM; ?iso: E.

Hakea rubriflora Lamont, J. Roy. Soc. W. Australia 55: 97, f. 1 (1973). T: 45 km east of Cranbrook, north Stirling Ra., 21 Oct. 1971, B.Lamont UWA1034; holo: PERTH; iso: AD, K, MEL, PERTH.

Description

Compact rounded shrub, 1–2 m tall, 1–2 m wide, non-lignotuberous. Branchlets and young leaves appressed-pubescent. Leaves flat, elliptic or obovate throughout, 1.5–4.6 cm long, 10–25 mm wide, cuneate or cordate, dentate for whole length with 2–10 1–2 mm long teeth per side.

Inflorescence in upper axils, with 1, 3 or 5 flowers; involucre 1–1.5 mm long; rachis 0.5 mm long; pedicels 2.5–5.5 mm long. Perianth 8.5–11.5 mm long, mid-yellow or orange, red-black on limb and margins of tepals, glaucous. Pistil 10–13 mm long; gland 0.4 mm high.

Fruit obliquely ovate, 2.3–2.8 cm long, smooth with scattered truncate prickles along suture, glabrous. Seed 18–22 mm long; wing partly down one side of seed body only.

Distribution and ecology

Occurs on southern coastal strip of Western Australia from Albany to east of Esperance and inland to Stirling Ra.; grows in sand, sandy gravel, gravel, lateritic sand, sandy clay or red clay loam in heath or mallee scrub.

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 July–Oct.

Derivation of name

From denticulatus, Latin for small teeth, a reference to the toothing of the leaves.

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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.

The Prostrata group all share the characteristics of flat leaves with toothed margins, glabrous pedicel and perianth, oblique pollen presenter and non-woody, spiny, obscurely-horned, camouflaged fruits which are not retained for any length of time on the bushes.

Members of the group are H. amplexicaulis, H. auriculata, H. denticulata, H. prostrata, H. pritzelii and H. spathulata, all from SW WA.

Notes

According to notes on specimens and Lamont, loc. cit., the flowers of H. denticulata are unpleasantly scented. Young seedling leaves have an appressed indumentum and a large number of marginal teeth, 10–20 per cm, with alternating 1 mm and 0.5 mm long teeth. They are similar in appearance to the seedling leaves of H. cristata .

Representative specimens

Western Australia: Bremer Bay Rd, 20 km W of Bremer Bay, R.Filson 9117 (MEL, PERTH); lower W slope of Middle Mt Barren, A.S.George 10079 (PERTH); 8 km S Chillinup Pool, Pallinup R., B.Lamont & K.Newbey 3A (PERTH); Boat Harbour, K.Newbey 822 (PERTH).

Weblinks

Link to FloraBase treatment of this species for WA.

For further information and images of this species in the Esperance region of Western Australia see William Archer’s Hakea page in Esperance Wildflowers

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

Further illustrations

B.Lamont, J. Roy. Soc. W. Australia 55: 97, f. 1 (1973), as H. rubriflora.

I. Holliday, Hakeas. A Field and Garden Guide 66-67(2005)

J.A..Young, Hakeas of Western Australia. A Field and Identification Guide 36 (2006)

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