Hakea nitida
{{short description|Species of shrub of the family Proteaceae endemic to Western Australia}}
{{speciesbox
|name = Frog hakea
|image = Hakea nitida flowers.jpg
|image_caption = Hakea nitida growing near the Stirling Range National Park
|status = EN
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|genus = Hakea
|species = nitida
|authority = R.Br.{{cite web |title=Hakea nitida |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/97305 |website=Australian Plant Census |access-date=5 November 2019}}
|range_map = Hakea nitida DistMap.png
|range_map_caption = Occurrence data from AVH
|}}
Hakea nitida, commonly called the frog hakea or shining hakea,{{cite web|url=http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Hakea+nitida|title=Hakea nitida R.Br. Shining Hakea|access-date=19 June 2016|work=The Atlas of Living Australia|publisher=Global Biodiversity Information Facility}} is a shrub of the family Proteaceae and is endemic to an area in the southern Wheatbelt, Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia.{{FloraBase|name=Hakea nitida|id=2187}}
Description
Hakea nitida is an erect shrub typically grows to a height of {{convert|1|to|3|m|ft|1}} and does not form a lignotuber. It blooms from July to September and produces white-cream and yellow flowers.
The plant has glabrous branchlets that are not glaucous. The flat rigid leaves are subpetiolate with a narrowly elliptic to obovate shape. Leaves are {{convert|1.5|to|9|cm|in|1}} in length and {{convert|10|to|30|mm|in|1}} wide and narrowly cuneate.
Inflorescences are axillary or terminal on short shoots with 16 to 36 flowers. These form obliquely ovate fruit, {{convert|2.5|to|3.5|cm|in|1}} long and {{convert|1.5|to|2.5|cm|in|1}} wide. The fruit are black-pusticulate, with horns approximately {{convert|6|mm|in|2}} long. Seeds are narrowly obovate with wings broadly down one side of seed body, narrowly down the other. The seed pods resemble warty toads or frogs giving the plant the unusual common name, the frog hakea.{{cite web|url=http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/efsa/lucid/Hakea/key/Australian%20Hakea%20species/Media/Html/Hakea_nitida.htm|title=Hakea nitida factsheet|access-date=19 June 2016|publisher=Government of South Australia}}
Taxonomy and naming
The species was first formally described by Robert Brown in 1810 and the description was published in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London.{{cite web|title=Hakea nitida|url=https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/522410|publisher=APNI|access-date=15 October 2018}} The specific epithet (nitidus) is a Latin word meaning "bright", "shining" or "elegant",{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Roland Wilbur|title=The Composition of Scientific Words|date=1956|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|location=Washington, D.C.|page =481}} referring to the usually glossy leaf.{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=J A |title=Hakeas of Western Australia: A Field and Identification Guide |publisher=J A Young |isbn=0-9585778-2-X}}
Distribution and habitat
Frog hakea grows in southern Western Australia from Busselton to Eucla on sandy-loam, clay and gravel in mallee or heath.{{cite book |last1=Holliday |first1=Ivan |title=Hakeas:A Field and Garden Guide |publisher=Reed New Holland}} An ornamental shrub, a good habitat plant for wildlife.
Conservation status
Gallery
Image:Hakea nitida habit.jpg|habit
Image:Hakea nitida leaf.jpg|typical leaf
Image:Hakea nitida fruit (2).jpg|fruit
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q18080927}}
Category:Eudicots of Western Australia