Hakea eriantha, commonly known as tree hakea,[1] is a shrub or small tree endemic to the east coast of Australia. It has white flowers on a woolly stem in leaf axils, long narrow leaves with reddish new growth. Found growing at higher altitudes in moist or sclerophyll Eucalyptus woodland.
Hakea eriantha is a dense non lignotuberous shrub or small tree NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 tall. Leaves are linear to egg-shaped and 8 to 18.5 cm long and 1 to 30 mm wide. Young leaves are either smooth or with flattened fine hairs, ending with a sharp short point NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long. The inflorescence consists of 6-10 cream flowers on a stalk about NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long, they appear in the leaf axils. The pedicel is NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and densely covered with white soft hairs extending onto the lower part of the flower. The white perianth is NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and the style NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long. between August and November. The woody fruit is smooth NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long and about NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 wide with brown blister-like protuberances ending with a short sharp point NaNsigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 long. It is wrinkled and has beak that is about 3 mm long.[2] [3]
Hakea eriantha was first formally described in 1830 by botanist Robert Brown from a specimen collected near the Hastings River by Charles Fraser. The description was published in an addendum to the Supplementum primum Prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae.[4] [5] The specific epithet (eriantha) is derived from the Ancient Greek words erion meaning "wool"[6] and anthos meaning "flower" referring to the hairy flowers of this hakea.[7]
Tree hakea occurs in Eucalyptus woodland or forest and the edge of rainforest from Gladstone in Queensland, southward to Gippsland in Victoria.
Hakea eriantha is a fast growing species, suitable for wet cold climates as a screening or hedging plant. A food source for the gang-gang cockatoo (Calocephalon fimbriatum) as they share a similar habitat. Also preferred in some districts by the yellow-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus) as a food source. [3] [8] [9] [10]