Flowers and seed case. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, east of Rankin Springs, NSW

Flowers and seed cases. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, near Goolgowi, NSW

Seed cases and leaves. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Shrub. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, east of Rankin Springs, NSW

Tree. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Hooked Needlewood

Family

Proteaceae

Notes

Shrub or tree to 8m tall.  Leaves alternating up the stems, 2-9cm long, 1-1.8mm diameter, narrow cylindrical, hairy becoming hairless, with a curved sharp point.  Spider flowers white to whitish green with 4 'petals', in clusters of 6-22 flowers at the bases of the leaves.  Rare SA.

It differs from Hakea leucoptera ssp. leucoptera in that the leaves have a strongly curved sharp point, the perianth is 5-6mm long, and the axis from which the individual flowers arise is covered in rusty brown hairs.

It differs from Hakea vittata in that the axis from which the individual flowers arise is single, and the plant is never infected with witches broom galls.

Description and photos in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 218

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Hakea~tephrosperma