 Leaves and inflrescences; the rusty bracts are probably more developing inflorescences. Photo © W.R.Barker |
 Leaves and terminal inflorescence. Photo © W.R.Barker |
 Old inflorescence with remainder of flowers and rachis and young developing branches (white pubescent). Photo © W.R.Barker |
 Old fruit held within leaves. Photo © W.R.Barker |
Synonymy
Hakea lasiocarpha R.Br., Suppl. Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl. 27 (1830)
T: between the two ranges of mountains inland from King George Sound, [Western Australia], 1828, W.Baxter s.n.; probable holo: BM.
Hakea dolichostyla Diels, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 35: 166 (1904). T: plantaganet: ostlich des Green Ridge [Green Range? between King George Sound and Cape Riche], Western Australia, 18 July 1901, L.Diels 3510; ?holo: B.
Description
Spreading shrub, up to 3 m tall, lignotuberous. Branchlets densely villous. Leaves rigid, elliptic in cross-section, narrowly obovate, 1.2–4 cm long, 1–2 mm wide, usually with 3 (–6) irregularly inserted mucronate segments towards apex, rarely entire, initially densely tomentose; mucro 3–4.5 mm long.
Inflorescence with c. 30 flowers; involucre 6–10 mm long; rachis 4–5 mm long, densely villous; pedicels 3–7 mm long. Perianth c. 8 mm long, white. Pistil 23–25 mm long; ovary glabrous; gland present.
Fruit 2–2.3 cm long, c. 1 cm wide, glabrous, tuberculate, with tubercles black-pusticulate at apex; horns to 5 mm long. Seed narrowly ovate or elliptic, 10–11 mm long; wing narrowly down one side of seed body only.
Distribution and ecology
Occurs in the Kalgan R. area, between the Stirling Ra. and the coast, Western Australia; recorded from shallow sand over clay loam in winter-wet areas.
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 May–July.
Derivation of name
From lasio, Greek for woolly or hairy and carpha, Greek for a small dry body. In first describing this species, Brown described the involucral bracts as woolly, and it is assumed therefore that the epithet is a reference to the woolly involucral bracts of this species.
Relationships
Previously treated as Series Enerves of Sect. Conogynoides of Bentham. Sect. Conogynoides is characterised by a conical pollen presenter, veined leaves, glabrous perianth and fruits lacking horns. Series Enerves members lack an obvious venation in the leaves.
Because of the lack of leaf venation, but also because the fruits have very distinctive horns and the conical pollen presenter is somewhat obliquely placed, this group was removed from Sect. Conogynoides by Barker et al. (1999) and treated as the informal Varia group. Probably close to Bentham's Section Manglesiodes (the Lissocarpha group of Barker et al., 1999) but differing by the curved buds of the Varia group as opposed to the straight buds of the Lissocarpha group.
Members of the group are H. florida, H. horrida, H. ilicifolia, H. lasiocarpha, H. oleifolia, H. tuberculata and H. varia and the more recently described, H. chromatropa . All are from SW WA.
Notes
This species is easily separable from the rest of the Varia Group by the much longer pistil.
A poorly collected species, the only other specimens seen, besides the types and those cited, being cultivated specimens grown at Wittunga Botanic Gardens and Mt Alma, Inman Valley in S.A. Both of the cultivated specimens originated from Western Australia plants introduced by Miss Alison Ashby. It was noted on the Short & Haegi collection that the species was common along the roadside, and this is supported by Jennifer Young (pers. comm.) who says that the species 'ranges widely along the south coast from west of Albany to east of Ravensthorpe'.
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.
Atkins, K.J. (2008). Declared Rare and Priority Flora List for
Representative specimens
Western Australia: 17 km NNE Mt Manypeaks townsite, G.J.Keighery 8066 (PERTH); c. 6 km SSW of Kalgan R. crossing along the Albany–Borden road, P.Short 2274 & L.Haegi (AD).
Weblinks
Link to FloraBase treatment of this species for WA.
Photographs of this species can be seen on the Australian National Botanic Gardens site, one of them as H. dolichostyla.
Further illustrations
I. Holliday, Hakeas. A Field and Garden Guide 102-3 (2005)
J.A..Young, Hakeas of Western Australia. A Field and Identification Guide 58 (2006)