Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Hakea teretifolia
Common name
Needlebush, Dagger Hakea
Family
Proteaceae
Where found
Forest, woodland, shrubland, and heath, usually in moist places and swampy sites. Coast, ranges, and the eastern tablelands.
subsp. hirsuta: Coast, ranges and eastern edge of the tablelands.
subsp. teretifolia: Coast, ranges, and the eastern edge of the tablelands. North of west of Araluen.
Notes
Shrub to 4 m high. Leaf tips sharp. New growth whitish hairy, almost hairless at flowering. Leaves alternating up the stems, often crowded, 0.5–7.7 cm long, 0.8– about 2 mm in diameter, rigid, cylindrical, sometimes flattened when young, surfaces hairless. Flowers with 4 white to yellowish 'petals' 3.7–6 mm long, covered with white hairs, free from each other when the flowers are fully open. Gynoecium 5–17 mm long. Flowers in clusters of 4-8 flowers, often several clusters close together. 'Nut' 16–30 mm long, 5–9 mm wide, finely black-warty or smooth, dark brown-streaked, tapering into a long beak, lacking horns at the tips. Flowers September–February. Seeds with one wing.
subsp. hirsuta: Individual flower stalks and 'petals' densely hairy with raised hairs, some appressed.
subsp. teretifolia: Individual flower stalks and 'petals' densely hairy with appressed shiny hairs, some almost erect.
PlantNET description of species and key to subspecies: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Hakea~teretifolia (accessed 8 April 2021)
This identification key and fact sheets are available as a free mobile application:
