Hakea macraeana
Encyclopedia
Hakea macraeana, commonly known as the willow needlewood or Macrae's hakea, is a species of shrub native to eastern Australia. The species was first formally described by botanist Ferdinand von Mueller
in 1886 in the Australian Journal of Pharmacy. The species name honours one George Macrae, who aided the original collector William Baeuerlen.
Hakea macraeana grows as a shrub or small tree anywhere from 1 to 7.5 or 10 m (4–25 (35) ft) tall, and has drooping branches and needle-like leaves, which range from 4 to 15 cm (1.6 to 5.9 in) long, and are soft but tipped with a sharp point. The white or cream-white inflorescence
s appear along the stems from August to October, and are composed of two to six individual small flowers. Flowering is followed by the development of oval-shaped woody seed pods. Warty and brown, they are 2.8 – long and 1.8 – wide. Each contains two dark grey or dark brown seeds which are 2.2 to 2.7 mm (0.0866141732283465 to 0.106299212598425 in) long and bear a membranous "wing".
The range is the south coast and southern tablelands of New South Wales to altitudes of 1060 metres (3,477.7 ft). A population from Dorrigo in northern New South Wales has since been classified as a separate species H. ochroptera
. Hakea macraeana is an understory
plant of sclerophyll
forest on rocky soils. The species' response to bushfire is unknown.
Rarely cultivated, the willow needlewood has potential as a screening plant. It adapts readily to cultivation and is tolerant of light or heavy soils. Faring better in climates of over 450 millimetres (17.7 in) annual rainfall, Hakea macraeana is tolerant of moderate frosts.
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
in 1886 in the Australian Journal of Pharmacy. The species name honours one George Macrae, who aided the original collector William Baeuerlen.
Hakea macraeana grows as a shrub or small tree anywhere from 1 to 7.5 or 10 m (4–25 (35) ft) tall, and has drooping branches and needle-like leaves, which range from 4 to 15 cm (1.6 to 5.9 in) long, and are soft but tipped with a sharp point. The white or cream-white inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s appear along the stems from August to October, and are composed of two to six individual small flowers. Flowering is followed by the development of oval-shaped woody seed pods. Warty and brown, they are 2.8 – long and 1.8 – wide. Each contains two dark grey or dark brown seeds which are 2.2 to 2.7 mm (0.0866141732283465 to 0.106299212598425 in) long and bear a membranous "wing".
The range is the south coast and southern tablelands of New South Wales to altitudes of 1060 metres (3,477.7 ft). A population from Dorrigo in northern New South Wales has since been classified as a separate species H. ochroptera
Hakea ochroptera
Hakea ochroptera is a species of shrub that is native to eastern Australia. The species was first formally described by South Australian botanist Bill Barker in 1996. Found near Dorrigo in northern New South Wales, it was separated from the similar species H. macraeana....
. Hakea macraeana is an understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
plant of sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
forest on rocky soils. The species' response to bushfire is unknown.
Rarely cultivated, the willow needlewood has potential as a screening plant. It adapts readily to cultivation and is tolerant of light or heavy soils. Faring better in climates of over 450 millimetres (17.7 in) annual rainfall, Hakea macraeana is tolerant of moderate frosts.