Pincushion Tree

Description

Hakea (pin-cushion tree) is a genus of 149 species of shrubs and small trees in the Proteaceae, native to Australia and surrounding islands. They are found throughout the country, with the highest species diversity being found in the south west of Western Australia. They can reach 1–6 m in height, and have spirally arranged leaves 2–20 cm long, simple or compound, sometimes (e.g. H. suaveolens) with the leaflets thin cylindrical and rush-like. The flowers are produced in dense flowerheads of variable shape, globose to cylindrical, 3–10 cm long, with numerous small red, yellow, pink, purple, pale blue, or white flowers. Hakeas are named after Baron Christian Ludwig von Hake, the 18th-century German patron of botany, following Heinrich Schrader's description of Hakea glabra (synonym of Hakea teretifolia) in 1797. It is now accepted that Grevillea is paraphyletic with respect to Hakea. Hakeas are closely related to the genus Grevillea and Finschia, both members of the subfamily Grevilleoideae within the family Proteaceae. Many species have similar inflorescences, but hakeas can be distinguished by their woody seed pods.