Hakea loranthifolia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hakea loranthifolia |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Hakea
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| Species: |
loranthifolia
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Hakea loranthifolia is a cool shrub that belongs to the Proteaceae plant family. It only grows in Western Australia, which means it's endemic there. This plant has an open, airy look, with stiff, egg-shaped leaves that have special lines (veins) on them. It has smooth grey bark and blooms with pretty white flowers from July to September.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
Hakea loranthifolia is an upright shrub that usually grows to be about 2 to 3 meters (6.5 to 10 feet) tall. It doesn't have many branches, and its younger stems are smooth.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves are green and shaped like an oval or an egg. They are about 4 to 8.5 centimeters (1.6 to 3.3 inches) long and 1.3 to 2.3 centimeters (0.5 to 0.9 inches) wide. Each leaf has one to three veins on the top and three to five veins underneath. The edges of the leaves are smooth, and they get narrower towards both ends.
This plant produces clusters of 10 to 16 white flowers. These clusters grow where the leaves meet the stem. You can see these white flowers blooming from July to September. The tiny stalks holding the flowers are smooth.
Fruit
After flowering, Hakea loranthifolia grows smooth, egg-shaped fruits. These fruits are about 1.6 to 2.5 centimeters (0.6 to 1 inch) long and 0.9 to 1.8 centimeters (0.35 to 0.7 inches) wide. They have a beak-like tip that curves upwards.
How It Got Its Name
The plant was first officially described by a botanist named Carl Meissner in 1845. He included it in a larger work about plants.
Meaning of the Name
The second part of its scientific name, loranthifolia, comes from two words. Loranthus is a type of mistletoe plant. The word folius means "leaf" in Latin. So, the name loranthifolia means "mistletoe-leaved." This is because the leaves of Hakea loranthifolia look a bit like the leaves of a mistletoe plant.
Where Does It Grow?
This special shrub is found only in a specific area of Western Australia. This area is called the Wheatbelt region. You can find it from Northam in the north down to Narrogin in the south.
Habitat
Hakea loranthifolia likes to grow in sandy or gravelly soils, especially where there's a type of rock called laterite. It's often found on or near "breakaways," which are steep rocky slopes. It grows as part of the lower plants (called the understorey) in open woodlands. These woodlands often have Eucalyptus wandoo and Eucalyptus accedens trees.
