Flora of Australia Online

Hakea epiglottis Labill., Nov. Holl. Pl. 1: 30, t. 40 (1805)

Conchium epiglottis (Labill.) Willd., Enum. Pl. 1: 141 (1809). T: Capite Van Diemen, [Tas.], J.Labillardière s.n. ; syn: FI n.v. , G, G-DC, K p.p. , OXF, P, TCD (label only).

Conchium teretifolium C.F.Gaertn., Suppl. Carp. 3: 217, t. 219 (1807). T: Labillardière collection; holo: not located, probably one of the duplicates of the type of Hakea epiglottis .

[Hakea rostrata auct. non F.Muell. ex Meisn.: W.Curtis, Students Fl. Tasmania 3: 609 (1967), p.p. ]

[Hakea rugosa auct. non R.Br.: W.Curtis, Students Fl. Tasmania 3: 609 (1967), p.p. ]

Functionally unisexual shrub, rarely hermaphrodite, compact, to 3 m high. Leaves terete, 1.5–7.5 (–11) cm long, 1–2 mm wide. Inflorescence on male plants with 2–8 flowers, on female plants with 1–3 flowers; involucre 3–4 mm long; rachis c. 1 mm long; pedicels 3.5–5 mm long, densely white appressed-sericeous, with hairs extending on to perianth. Perianth 2.5–4 mm long, pale yellow inside. Pistil recurved, 5.5–6.5 mm long; pollen presenter an oblique disc, 0.5–0.6 mm long, concave in male flowers, with a conical protuberance in female flowers; gland a slightly curved rectangular flap, 0.1–0.3 mm high. Fruit sigmoidal, 1.4–2.6 cm long, 0.6–1.2 cm wide. Seed 9–12 mm long; wing partly down one side of seed body only. Fig. 10F.

An endemic species in Tas.; it occurs on all but the north-east coast where it is replaced by the closely related H. megadenia.

There are two subspecies.

Many populations consist of unisexual plants, i.e. either male plants or female plants. Unisexual plants in populations can be detected by examining the plants for fruit. Plants producing fruit (female) usually have no pollen within the flower, while those plants lacking fruit may be immature or male with the flowers producing pollen only. Plants on which fruit occur together with flowers producing pollen are bisexual. A number of populations of bisexual plants have been documented in Lee (1987), and the problem is discussed in more detail in Barker (1991).

H.M.Lee, The biology of Hakea epiglottis, Austral. J. Bo t. 35: 689–699 (1987); R.M.Barker, Towards a revision of the Hakea epiglottis Labill. (Proteaceae) complex of Tasmania, in M.R.Banks et al. (eds), Aspects of Tasmanian Botany: a Tribute to Winifred Curtis, pp. 79–84 (1991).

Perianth with concolorous hairs throughout claw and limb
subsp. epiglottis

Perianth with yellowish white hairs on claw, ferruginous hairs on limb
subsp. milliganii