Hakea tuberculata facts for kids

Hakea tuberculata is a unique shrub that belongs to the Proteaceae plant family. It is found only in certain coastal areas of Western Australia. This means it is an endemic plant, growing naturally in the Peel, South West, Great Southern, and Goldfields-Esperance regions.

What it Looks Like

Hakea tuberculata is an upright shrub that can grow up to 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) tall. It has slender, column-like branches that point upwards. Its younger branches are covered with thick, rough hairs that can be rusty-colored or white.

The leaves of this plant are stiff and shaped like a narrow egg or oval. They are usually 1 to 2 centimeters (about 0.4 to 0.8 inches) long and 2 to 6 millimeters (about 0.08 to 0.24 inches) wide. Each leaf often has 3 to 8 small bumps or teeth near its tip. When new, the leaves have silky, rusty-colored hairs, but they quickly become smooth. Each leaf ends in a very sharp point, about 1 to 2 millimeters long.

This Hakea produces large, white flowers that have a strong scent. There are usually 18 to 26 flowers grouped together where the leaves meet the stem. These flowers bloom mostly from March to April. The small, oval-shaped fruits are about 1.7 to 1.8 centimeters (about 0.7 inches) wide and 0.8 to 0.9 centimeters (about 0.35 inches) thick. They often have rough bumps, called tubercles, on their surface. Each fruit also has two distinct horn-like points at the top, about 3 millimeters long.

How it Got its Name

The plant Hakea tuberculata was first officially described in 1830 by a botanist named Robert Brown. He published his description in a book called Supplementum primum prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae.

The name tuberculata comes from the Latin word tuberculum. This word means "a small swelling." This name was chosen because the fruit of this plant often has small, bumpy swellings, or tubercles, on its surface.

Where it Lives

Hakea tuberculata grows along the south coast of Western Australia. You can find it in areas like Augusta, Margaret River, and Albany.

It prefers to grow in low-lying areas, often near creeks and drainage lines. It likes sandy soil, loam (a mix of sand, silt, and clay), and lateritic gravel. This plant is most commonly found in places that get wet during the winter, especially near areas with ironstone.

Conservation Status

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at Hakea tuberculata. They have classified it as "not threatened." This means that, for now, there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not considered to be in danger of disappearing.