Hakea collina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hakea collina |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Hakea
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| Species: |
collina
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| Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
The Hakea collina is a special kind of shrub that grows in eastern Australia. It's part of the Proteaceae plant family. This plant is usually a small bush with many branches that can look a bit twisted. It has pretty cream-yellowish flowers that make it stand out.
What it Looks Like
Hakea collina is a bush that grows between 1 and 2.6 meters (about 3 to 8.5 feet) tall. Its branches can be quite tangled and gnarled, which means they look a bit knotty and twisted.
The younger branches and leaves are covered in soft, flat, silky hairs. These hairs stay on the plant until it flowers. Its leaves are like straight needles, about 1.5 to 3.5 centimeters (0.6 to 1.4 inches) long. They are often grouped together at the ends of the branches.
When it flowers, usually from May to July (the colder months), it has small groups of two to twelve flowers. These flowers have a white outer part, called a perianth, which is about 2.7 to 4.5 millimeters long. The part of the flower that receives pollen, called the style, is about 9 millimeters long.
After the flowers, the plant grows egg-shaped fruits. These fruits are a bit wrinkled and are narrower where they attach to the stem. They are about 14 to 18 millimeters (0.55 to 0.71 inches) long and 6.5 to 8.5 millimeters (0.26 to 0.33 inches) wide. The fruit ends in a short, pointed tip. Inside, the seeds are about 11 to 14 millimeters long and have a wing on one side.
Plant Name and History
The scientific name Hakea collina was first given to this plant in 1944. A botanist named Cyril Tenison White officially described it. He wrote about it in a scientific paper called Contributions to the Queensland Flora.
The second part of its name, collina, comes from a Latin word. Collinus means "of a hill" or "hilly." This name makes sense because the plant often grows on hills.
Where it Grows
This Hakea collina bush is special because it is endemic to a specific area. This means it only grows naturally in one place in the world. That place is the south-west part of Queensland, Australia.
You can find it on flat-topped hills and plains that have a special type of soil called lateritic soil. It grows as part of open woodlands and shrublands, often alongside Acacia trees.
How We Protect It
Scientists keep track of how common or rare plants are. Hakea collina is currently listed as 'Poorly Known'. This means we don't have enough information about how many of these plants exist or if they are in danger. This listing comes from a book called "Rare or Threatened Australian Plants."
