Biology:Hakea ferruginea

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Short description: Species of shrub in the family Proteacea endemic to Western Australia

Hakea ferruginea
Hakea ferruginea growing near the Stirling Range National Park
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Hakea
Species:
H. ferruginea
Binomial name
Hakea ferruginea
Sweet[1]
Occurrence data from AVH

Hakea ferruginea, commonly known as rusty hakea,[2] is shrub in the family Proteacea. It has flat leaves and white to cream-coloured flowers from late winter to mid-summer and is endemic to Western Australia.

Rusty hakea habit
fruit

Description

Hakea ferruginea is an erect, rounded, non-lignotuberous shrub which typically grows to a height of 1 to 4.5 metres (3 to 15 ft). The branchlets are hairy and the leaves are arranged alternately.[3] The pale green leaf blade is flat, narrowly to broadly egg-shaped or elliptic and is 1.5 to 8.5 centimetres (0.6 to 3.3 in) in length and 1.2 to 2.7 cm (0.47 to 1.06 in) wide.[4] It blooms from July to November and produces white-cream flowers.[3] The solitary inflorescences contain 16 to 20 flowers with a cream-white perianth. After flowering obliquely ovate shaped beaked fruit that are 2 to 3.1 cm (0.79 to 1.22 in) in length and 1.1 to 1.8 cm (0.43 to 0.71 in). The black to brown seeds within have a narrowly ovate or elliptic shape with a wing down one edge.[4]

Taxonomy

Hakea ferruginea was first formally described by the botanist Robert Sweet in 1827 and the description was published in Flora Australasica.[5][6] Hakea repanda R.Br. is a synonym.[7][8] The specific epithet is a Latin word meaning "rust-coloured" or "rusty",[9] referring to the colour of new growth.[4]

Distribution

Rusty hakea is found in a small area in the Wheatbelt and an area along the south coast of the Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia where it grows in sandy, rocky loam or clay soils.[3] The shrub is often part of mallee heath or open forest communities.[4]

Conservation status

Hakea ferruginea is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[3]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q18081432 entry