Hakea recurva subsp. recurva facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hakea recurva subsp. recurva |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Hakea |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
H. r. subsp. recurva
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| Trinomial name | |
| Hakea recurva subsp. recurva |
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The Hakea recurva subsp. recurva is a special plant found only in the south-west part of Western Australia. It belongs to the Proteaceae family, which includes many unique Australian plants.
Contents
About Hakea recurva subsp. recurva
What This Plant Looks Like
This plant can be a tall, multi-stemmed shrub or an open tree. It can grow up to about 7 meters (23 feet) high. Its leaves are quite unique. They are thick, stiff, and can be straight or slightly curved. Each leaf is about 5 to 12 centimeters (2 to 5 inches) long and 2 to 3.2 millimeters (0.08 to 0.13 inches) wide. They end in a very sharp point, about 3.7 to 5.5 millimeters (0.15 to 0.22 inches) long.
When it flowers, you'll see many creamy-yellow flowers. Sometimes, they can even be pink! These flowers grow in clusters where the leaves meet the stem and have a lovely sweet smell. After the flowers, the plant produces egg-shaped fruits. These fruits are about 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters (0.6 to 1 inch) long and 1 to 1.3 centimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) wide. They get narrower towards a blunt tip. Once the seeds inside are ready, the plant quickly releases them.
Where This Plant Grows
You can find Hakea recurva subsp. recurva in many places north of Perth. Its home stretches from the Murchison River through the middle of Western Australia's wheatbelt region. It also grows as far east as Coolgardie.
This plant likes to grow in areas with heath (low, shrubby plants) and open woodlands. It prefers sandy clay soil over granite or laterite, or even loam and gravel. It's a tough plant that can handle frost. It also needs lots of sunshine and soil that drains water well.
How This Plant Got Its Name
The plant we now call Hakea recurva was first officially described in 1856 by a scientist named Carl Meissner. Later, in 1904, another plant called Hakea arida was described by Ludwig Diels.
However, in 1999, two scientists named William Barker and Robyn Barker studied these plants closely. They realized that Hakea recurva and Hakea arida were actually very similar. They decided they were too much alike to be considered completely separate species.
So, they made a change to their names. Hakea recurva became Hakea recurva subsp. recurva. And Hakea arida was renamed to Hakea recurva subsp. arida. These changes were officially written down in a book called Flora of Australia, specifically in Volume 17B.
