Prickly Hakea

The Prickly Hakea (Hakea amplexicaulisis) are starting to unfold their flower heads.  These shrubs are native to this area in the southwest of Western Australia and we have about 5 specimen in the western part of the forest.  Our Prickly Hakea are pretty spindly looking and will only grow to a height of 2 to 3 metres.  They have prickly leaves spiralling around the stem.  According to Wikipedia, the species was first formally described by Robert Brown in 1810. Hakea  is a genus of 149 species of Proteaceae, native to Australia, with the highest species diversity in this area.   Hakeas are closely related to the genus Grevillea of the subfamily Grevilleoideae within the family Proteaceae. Many species have similar flowers, but hakeas can be distinguished by their woody seed pods, like the Woody Pear.  (Hakeas are named after Baron Christian Ludwig von Hake, the 18th century German patron of botany, following Heinrich Schrader’s description of Hakea teretifolia in 1797.)