Hakea decurrens
Encyclopedia
Hakea decurrens, commonly known as Bushy Needlewood, is a species
of shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae
. It is erect in habit, growing to between 0.3 and 5 metres tall. The leaves are 1.5 to 8 cm long and 0.7 to 1.6 mm wide. The species is native and widespread in New South Wales
, Victoria
and Tasmania
in Australia
. Additionally it is naturalised in South Australia
and Portugal
.
The species was first formally described by Robert Brown
in Supplementum primum prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae
in 1830.
Three subspecies are currently recognised:
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae
Proteaceae
Proteaceae is a family of flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises about 80 genera with about 1600 species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae they make up the order Proteales. Well known genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea,...
. It is erect in habit, growing to between 0.3 and 5 metres tall. The leaves are 1.5 to 8 cm long and 0.7 to 1.6 mm wide. The species is native and widespread in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Additionally it is naturalised in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
The species was first formally described by Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
in Supplementum primum prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae
Supplementum Primum Prodromi Florae Novae Hollandiae
Supplementum primum Prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae is an 1830 supplement to Robert Brown's Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen. It may be referred to by its standard botanical abbreviation Suppl. Prodr. Fl. Nov...
in 1830.
Three subspecies are currently recognised:
- H.decurrens subsp. decurrens, occurs in New South Wales and the Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
- H.decurrens subsp. physocarpa, occurs in New South Wales, Victoria and the Bass Strait Islands. In Tasmania it is thought to be native to the north and naturalised in the south. It is also naturalised in the Mount Lofty RangesMount Lofty RangesThe Mount Lofty Ranges are the range of mountains just to the east of Adelaide in South Australia.-Location and description:The Mount Lofty Ranges stretch from the southernmost point of the Fleurieu Peninsula at Cape Jervis northwards for over before petering out north of Peterborough...
in South Australia and Portugal. - H.decurrens subsp. platytaenia, occurs in exposed coastal heaths in south-eastern New South Wales, eastern Victoria and the Bass Strait Islands.