Yellow hakea

Appearance

''Hakea nodosa'' is an erect, sprawling shrub usually growing to 3 m tall and a similar width. The branchlets quickly form ribbing or slowly becoming smooth. The leaves are usually needle-shaped, sometimes flattened, flexible, 0.8–5 cm long and 0.7–2.5 mm wide.

The leaves are occasionally grooved below and smooth ending in a point 0.2–0.9 mm long. The inflorescence consists of 2-11 cream-white to golden yellow flowers in profusion, clustered along the branches. The inflorescence is on a simple stem densely covered with upright hairs, they may be white, brown or a combination of both.

The pedicels are 1.5–1 mm long with white, soft, silky hairs. The pistil 3–4.5 mm long, the perianth is smooth and 1.3–2.2 mm long. These are followed by woody seed capsules that are 30 to 35 mm long.

Two contrasting types of the latter are produced, one that is woody with contrasting lighter bumps, and the other that is smooth, not woody and opens while still attached to the branch. Flowering occurs from May to August.

Naming

''Hakea nodosa'' was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown in 1810 and the description was published in ''Transactions of the Linnean Society of London''. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word ''nodosus'' meaning "knotty", referring to the prominent knobs on the fruit.

Distribution

Yellow hakea occurs in south-eastern South Australia, Victoria and north-eastern Tasmania in dense heath woodlands, usually in winter wet locations on clay soil.