Synonymy

Hakea linearis R.Br., Trans. Linn. Soc. London 10: 183 (1810)

T: King George Sound, [Western Australia], Feb. 1801, R.Brown Iter Austral. 19; syn: BM.

Description

Erect or straggling shrub or small tree, 0.6–4 m tall. Branchlets glabrous. Leaves linear or narrowly elliptic, 2–8 cm long, 2–7 mm wide, thin, cuneate, entire or 1–5-toothed, acute, glabrous; mucro 1.5–2 mm long.

Inflorescence with 16–20 flowers; involucre 5.5–7.5 mm long; rachis glabrous; pedicels 2.5–4.5 mm long, glabrous. Perianth 3–5 mm long, white, glabrous.

Fruit obliquely obovate with recurved apex, 1.5–2.5 cm long, 0.7–1 cm wide, finely rugose, sometimes scattered black-pusticulate; horns 2.5–4 mm long. Seed obliquely obovate, c. 12 mm long; wing apical or partly down one side of seed body.

Distribution and ecology

Occurs in the south-western corner of Western Australia in an area bounded by Busselton, Albany and Wagin, in sandy heaths or tall Eucalyptus woodland, often associated with swamps.

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 Oct.–May.

Derivation of name

From linearis, Latin for linear, a reference to the shape 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.

H. linearis is the only species of the Linearis group of Barker et al. 1999. While its relationships are clearly with the Varia group since it shares the glabrous pedicels and perianths and distinctly horned fruits on a recurved rachis of that group, it differs in its oblique pollen presenter.

Notes

Frequently confused with H. varia and related species, H. linearis can be distinguished by its glabrous floral rachis, distinctive pollen presenter and glabrous young shoots.

P.Groom (in litt.) reports that the populations of H. linearis in the Stirling Range do not have lignotubers.

Representative specimens

Western Australia: Red Gum Pass, Stirling Range National Park, A.C.Beauglehole 12922 (PERTH); Scott R. plains, A.S.George 11775 (PERTH); 21 km N of Albany, K.Newbey 1228 (PERTH); Albany area, 6 km off South Coast Hwy along Nanarup Rd, A.Strid 21635 (G, PERTH).

Weblinks

Link to FloraBase treatment of this species for WA.

Further illustrations

I. Holliday, Hakeas. A Field and Garden Guide 110-11(2005)

J.A..Young, Hakeas of Western Australia. A Field and Identification Guide 62 (2006)

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