Synonymy

Hakea minyma Maconochie, Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. S. Australia 97: 130 (1973)

T: about 84 km W of Musgrave Park Stn, S.A., J.R.Maconochie 846; holo: DNA; iso: AD, BRI, CANB, K, MEL, NSW, PERTH.

Hakea microneura C.A.Gardner ex A.R.Fairall, W. Austral. Nat. Pl. Cult. 154 (1970), nom. nud.

Description

Erect shrub or tree, 2–6 m tall, non-sprouting. Branchlets ±glabrous at flowering. Leaves flat, linear, slightly falcate, 4–16 cm long, 3.5–8 mm wide, finely striated, narrowly acute, bluntly mucronate, glabrous; veins 12–17 (–20) between prominent marginal veins.

Inflorescence with 50–110 flowers; rachis 2–6 cm long, glabrous; pedicels glabrous. Perianth cream, glabrous. Pistil 4.6–8 mm long; gland broadly obovoid.

Fruit 1–7 on elongated rachis, stalked, woody, obliquely ovate-acuminate, 1.7–3 cm long, 0.9–1.8 cm wide, prominently beaked (tip fragile, often broken), not keeled on ventral suture. Seed ±angular, obliquely obovate, 12–21 mm long, 6–9 mm wide; wing extending down one side of body only, blackish brown to black.

Distribution and ecology

Found in W.A. in an area bounded by Kalbarri, Wiluna, Merredin and Kalgoorlie, with an apparent disjunction to central Australia where found near Giles (W.A.), in the Petermann and Macdonnell Ra. (N.T.), and the Birksgate, Mann and Tomkinson Ra. (S.A.). Occurs in tussock grassland, mulga or mallee woodland, on sand dunes or sand plains.

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 Aug.–Nov.

Derivation of name

The species name is derived from the Pitjantjatjara word minyma, meaning woman, a reference to the resemblance of the fruit to that of a woman's breast.

top

Relationships

Part of Sect. Conogynoides recognised by Bentham (1870) and characterised by a conical pollen presenter, veined leaves, glabrous perianth and fruits without horns.

Within this section 6 species were assigned to the informal Multilineata group by Barker et al. (1999). This group of Hakea species is usually referred to as the 'grass-leaf Hakeas' because they have long linear flat leaves with longitudinal striations. All but one species are floriferous and have red flowers and long pistils, suggesting bird pollination. Fruits are erect. H. minyma has much shorter pistils and cream flowers.

Species in the group are H. bucculenta, H. francisiana, H. grammatophylla, H. minyma, H. maconochieana and H. multilineata. The monophyly or otherwise of the group has still to be tested.

Notes

H. minyma is sparingly cultivated.

Representative specimens

W.A.: Cowcowing, Sept. 1904, M.Koch s.n. (MEL, NSW, PERTH). N.T.: 48 km NE of Mt Davies Camp, Mann Ra., C.Dunlop 2010 (AD, CANB, DNA). S.A.: between Mt Harriet and Musgrave Park HS, Hj.Eichler 17285 (AD).

Weblinks

Link to FloraBase treatment of this species for WA.

Link to SA eFlora treatment.

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

Further illustrations

J.W.Wrigley & M.Fagg, Banksias, Waratahs & Grevilleas 384 (1989);

J.Young, Hakeas of W. Australia, Botanical District of Avon 17, 18, 70 (1997).

I. Holliday, Hakeas. A Field and Garden Guide 130-31 (2005)

J.A..Young, Hakeas of Western Australia. A Field and Identification Guide 72 (2006)

top