 Photo © A.Tinker |
 Photo © A.Tinker |
 |
Synonymy
Hakea longiflora (Benth.) R.M.Barker, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 13: 106 (1990)
Hakea erinacea var. longiflora Benth., Fl. Austral. 5: 505 (1870). T: Swan R., [Western Australia], without date, J.Drummond s.n.; ?holo: K; iso: B, L, MEL 1537917, PERTH. Images of 2 un-numbered Drummond collections ex MEL are included in the
Description
Dense erect shrub, 0.6–0.75 m tall, lignotuberous. Branchlets and young leaves villous; hairs moderately dense, suberect, 0.6–0.9 mm long, mixed with shorter hairs. Leaves compound-terete, rigid; undivided base 3–10 mm long, not grooved on lower surface; ultimate segments (2–) 3, 1–10 mm long, 0.8–1.5 mm wide, ungrooved.
Inflorescence with 2 flowers at decidedly different stages of development; involucre 5–6.5 mm long; pedicels 2–5 mm long, white-villous. Perianth 6.5–12 mm long, white-tomentose. Pistil 12–14 mm long; pollen presenter 3.5–4.5 mm long; gland 0.7–0.9 mm high.
Fruit not leaf-like, obliquely narrowly ovate, 1.8–2.5 cm long, 6–7 mm wide, smooth, black-pusticulate; beak long, obliquely inserted. Seed boomerang-shaped, 22 mm long; wing apical only.
Distribution and ecology
Occurs only in the Mt Lesueur to Dandaragan area, north of Perth, Western Australia, in low open heath in gravelly sand over sandstone. Although restricted in distribution it is apparently reasonably common (S.D.Hopper, pers. comm.).
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–Sept.
Derivation of name
From longus, Latin for long and florus, Latin for flower. Bentham described this species as a variety of H. erinacea distinguishable by its longer flowers.
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 Trifurcata group all share the characteristics of compound-terete leaves, pubescent pedicel and perianth, lateral pollen presenter and non-woody, non-horned, camouflaged fruits which are not retained for any length of time on the bushes.
Members of the group are H. erinacea, H. lasiantha, H. lasianthoides, H. longiflora and H. trifurcata , all from SW WA. The monophyly or otherwise of the group has still to be tested.
Notes
Hakea longiflora is distinctive in its unusually long lateral pollen presenter. All species with lateral pollen presenters have a slight difference in size between the adaxial and abaxial pair of tepals, but the difference is very marked in this species, and the anthers are also different in size between the tepal pairs.
Lateral pollen presenters are usually associated with bird, or perhaps mammal, pollination and the length of the pollen presenter would suggest a considerable load of pollen being deposited on the pollinator. The red styles and pollen presenter would supoort bird pollination but an access point to the flower might be difficult to find.
Hakea longiflora is very close to H. erinacea and the two overlap in distribution; the former is lignotuberous, the latter not. In addition, the undivided portion of the leaves of H. longiflora are not grooved on the lower surface as they are in H. erinacea, the branchlets of H. longiflora have long simple spreading hairs (0.5-1 mm long) not found in H. erinacea and there are only ever 2 or 3 ultimate segments in H. longiflora, whereas there can be up to 9 in H. erinacea .
Conservation status
In Western Australia denoted as Priority Three - Poorly Known: taxa which are known from several populations, at least some of which are not believed to be under immediate threat (i.e. not currently endangered). Such taxa are under consideration for declaration as ‘rare flora’, but are in need of further survey. (listing current August 2006).
Atkins, K.J. (2008). Declared Rare and Priority Flora List for
Representative specimens
Western Australia: near Dandaragan, W.E.Blackall 3674 (PERTH); near Badgingarra, A.S.George 2610 (PERTH); 8 km W of Brand Hwy, off Coorow–Green Head road, E.A.Griffin 2754 (PERTH).
Weblinks
Link to FloraBase treatment of this species for WA.
Further illustrations
J.A..Young, Hakeas of Western Australia. A Field and Identification Guide 64 (2006).