Hakea smilacifolia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hakea smilacifolia |
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| Hakea smilacifolia growing along the Brand Highway near Eneabba | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Hakea
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| Species: |
smilacifolia
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| Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
Hakea smilacifolia is a special shrub that belongs to the Proteaceae plant family. It has flowers that smell sweet and leaves that are stiff and feel like leather. This plant grows naturally only in certain parts of Western Australia. You can find it in the Mid West, western Wheatbelt, and Goldfields-Esperance areas.
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What Does Hakea Smilacifolia Look Like?
Hakea smilacifolia is an open, spreading shrub. It usually grows to be about 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6.5 feet) tall. It has smooth, grey bark and does not form a lignotuber (a woody swelling at the base that helps plants regrow after fire).
Its branches are covered with long, soft hairs, or sometimes rough, coarse hairs. When the plant flowers, these hairs become short, soft, and rusty-colored. The plant's thick, leathery leaves are about 15 to 70 millimeters (0.6 to 2.8 inches) long and 8 to 50 millimeters (0.3 to 2 inches) wide. These leaves are grey-green and grow in an alternating pattern along the stem.
The leaves near the bottom are usually oval or egg-shaped. Leaves closer to the flowers are wider and come to a point at the tip. They are often folded over and have clear, curving veins.
The plant's flowers grow in clusters of 5 or 6 in the spots where the leaves meet the stem. These white or creamy-white flowers are sweetly scented. Each flower has a smooth stalk, called a pedicel, which is about 1.2 to 2 millimeters long. The pistil (the female part of the flower) is 14 to 15 millimeters long. The perianth (the outer parts of the flower) is white.
After flowering, the plant produces very small, smooth fruits. These fruits have a 3D shape, are about 1.1 to 1.3 millimeters long and 4 to 6 millimeters wide, and end in a short, pointed beak.
How Hakea Smilacifolia Got Its Name
The plant Hakea smilacifolia was first officially described by a scientist named Carl Meisner in 1845. He published his description in a book called Plantae Preissianae.
The second part of its scientific name, smilacifolia, tells us something special about the plant. It means that its leaves look similar to the leaves of plants in a different group called Smilax.
Where Does Hakea Smilacifolia Grow?
Hakea smilacifolia grows in Western Australia. You can find it from the northern sandplains near Three Springs all the way south to Gingin. There's also a group of these plants recorded growing west of Esperance.
This plant prefers to grow in areas with heath (open shrubland) and scrubland. It likes sandy or gravelly soil. For it to grow well, it needs good drainage (meaning water doesn't sit around its roots) and lots of sunshine.
Is Hakea Smilacifolia Endangered?
Good news! The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at Hakea smilacifolia. They have classified it as "not threatened." This means the plant is not currently at risk of disappearing.
