Hakea ochroptera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hakea ochroptera |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Hakea
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| Species: |
ochroptera
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Hakea ochroptera is a special kind of flowering plant. It belongs to the Proteaceae family, which has many unique plants. This plant is only found in a small part of New South Wales, Australia. It grows as a shrub with long, thin leaves that look like needles. In springtime, it bursts with lots of creamy-white flowers.
What is Hakea ochroptera?
Hakea ochroptera can grow into a tall shrub or even a small tree. It can reach up to 12 meters (about 39 feet) high. Its branches hang downwards. Unlike some other plants, it does not have a special woody swelling at its base called a lignotuber. This means it cannot regrow easily from its base after a fire.
When the plant is young, its stems, leaves, and flower stalks (called pedicels) are covered in tiny hairs. These hairs often have a rusty color. The leaves are very thin, like needles. They are usually between 50 and 135 millimeters (about 2 to 5 inches) long and only about 1 millimeter wide. Each leaf ends in a sharp point.
From September to October, you can see creamy-white flowers on the plant. These flowers grow in small clusters, with up to six flowers in each group. They appear where the leaves meet the stem. After the flowers, the plant produces fruits. These fruits are quite large, about 32 to 40 millimeters (1.2 to 1.6 inches) long and 20 to 25 millimeters (0.8 to 1 inch) wide. They have small, blister-like bumps on their surface. The fruit might have a tiny horn-like tip, or sometimes no horn at all.
How it Got its Name
The plant Hakea ochroptera was officially named in 1996. A botanist from South Australia named William Barker gave it this name. He published his description in a science journal called the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
The second part of its name, ochroptera, comes from two ancient Greek words. "Ochros" means yellow, and "pteron" means wing. This name was chosen because of a key difference between Hakea ochroptera and a similar plant, Hakea macraeana.
Where it Lives
This special hakea plant is found only in a small area near Dorrigo in northern New South Wales, Australia. It prefers to grow in shallow soil on hillsides. You can often find it on rocky ground, mixed in with light scrub or a type of warm-temperate rainforest that isn't very dense.
Images for kids
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Habit on Dome Mountain in Dorrigo National Park
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Flowers
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Old, opened fruit.
