 Habit (cultivated). Photo © I. Holliday |
 Young rust-coloured growth. Photo © I. Holliday |
 Leaves, fruits and inflorescences. Photo © I. Holliday |
 Mature fruits - pointing downwards. Photo © W.R.Barker |
Synonymy
Hakea elliptica (Sm.) R.Br., Trans. Linn. Soc. London 10: 187 (1810)
Conchium ellipticum Sm., in A.Rees, Cycl. 9 (1807), pages unnumbered. T: King George Sound, [W.A.], 1803 [26 Sept.–15 Oct. 1791], A.Menzies s.n.; holo: LINN; iso: BM, ?K p.p.
Description
Erect shrub, 2–4 m tall, non-sprouting. Branchlets densely tomentose with reddish brown hairs at flowering. Leaves elliptic to broadly elliptic, ±flat, 4.5–9.5 cm long, 15–55 mm wide, cuneate to almost rounded at base, finely crenate, obtuse and blunt, short-acuminate or emarginate; longitudinal veins 3–5 above and below; secondary veins reticulate, prominent.
Inflorescence solitary with 35–40 flowers; pedicels glabrous. Perianth cream-white. Pistil 6–7.5 mm long; gland present.
Fruit obliquely elliptic, 3–3.7 cm long, 1.8–2.2 cm wide, not curved apically, not or obscurely beaked. Seed obliquely ovate, 20–25 mm long; wing extending broadly down one side of body, narrowly and partly down other, blackish brown, sometimes with paler patches.
Distribution and ecology
Occurs at a few localities along the south coast of south-western W.A., from Nornalup to just east of Albany, and on nearby offshore islands. Found in association with granite outcrops in heath.
To plot an up to date distribution map based on herbarium collections for this species see Australia's Virtual Herbarium. Localities outside the native range may represent cultivated or naturalised records.
Flowering time
Flowers Dec.
Derivation of name
From ellipticus, Latin for elliptic, presumably a reference to the shape of the leaves.
Relationships
Part of the Conogynoides group recognised by Bentham and characterised by a conical pollen presenter, veined leaves, glabrous perianth and fruits without horns.
Within this section 12 species were assigned to the informal Undulata group by Barker et al. (1999). This group of Hakea species was combined morphologically because they all have simple flat leaves with 3-7 prominent longitudinal veins, 10-40 small flowers (with 3-10.5 mm long pistils) and decurved woody fruits.
Members of the group are H. ambigua, H. anadenia, H. dactyloides, H. elliptica, H. falcata, H. ferruginea, H. hastata, H. laevipes, H. loranthifolia , H. neurophylla, H. plurinervia and H. undulata , from the eastern states and from SW WA. The newly described H. oligoneura (Nuytsia 19: 254 (2009) from the SW coast of WA belongs with this group.
Notes
Occasionally grown as an ornamental, when noted for its striking bronze new shoots.
Representative specimens
W.A.: Nornalup, 11 Sept. 1965, A.F.Davies & A.C.Beauglehole s.n. (NSW, PERTH); Bald Is., off S coast ENE of Albany, 13 Dec. 1963, A.R.Main s.n. (PERTH); near Ledge Beach, c. 7 km ENE of Albany, A.Strid 21825 (PERTH).
Weblinks
Link to FloraBase treatment of this species for WA.
Another photograph of this species can be seen on the Australian National Botanic Gardens site.
Further illustrations
W.R.Elliot & D.L.Jones, Encycl. Austral. Pl. 5: 203 (1990)
I. Holliday, Hakeas. A Field and Garden Guide 74-5 (2005)
J.A..Young, Hakeas of Western Australia. A Field and Identification Guide 39 (2006).