Small-fruited hakea

Description

Hakea microcarpa is a shrub growing to 2 m (7 ft) tall but often wider than tall. Its leaves and branches are glabrous except for a few hairs on new growth and which are lost by the time of flowering. The leaves are usually needle-shaped, 3–11 cm (1–4 in) long and about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) wide but sometimes there are a few flat leaves up to 5 mm (0.2 in) wide. The flowers are off-white in colour and are arranged in groups of ten to forty in the leaf axils. The stalk of each flower is 2–5 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long and the perianth is 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.14 in) long. Flowering occurs from September to February and is followed by the fruit which is a woody follicle containing two winged seeds. The follicle is oblong in shape, about 16 mm (0.6 in) long and 7 mm (0.3 in) wide with a small point 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long on each of the two sides.