Hakea orthorrhyncha, commonly known as Bird Beak Hakea, is a shrub which is endemic to the Murchison River area of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

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Hakea orthorrhyncha has a spreading habit, growing to between 2 and 3 metres tall with a similar spread. The bright red flowers appear in clusters on older growth from early winter to early spring. The woody, beaked fruits which follow are about 40 mm long and 20 mm wide.

The species was first described in 1868 by botanist Ferdinand von Mueller

Ferdinand von Mueller

Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...

who gave it the specific epithet orthorrhyncha which is derived from the Greek words ortho (straight) and rhynchos (beak) alluding to the straight beak on the seed capsules.

There are two varieties of the species, based on differing foliage characteristics:

• Hakea orthorrhyncha var. filiformis F.Muell. ex Benth. which has terete and often divided leaves up to 160mm long
• Hakea orthorrhyncha F.Muell. var. orthorrhyncha which has flat leaves which are 2 to 3 mm wide and 140 mm long.