Hakea victoria
Encyclopedia
Hakea victoria, with common names Royal Hakea and Lantern Hakea, is a shrub which is native to 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...

 and noted for its ornamental foliage.

Description

Hakea victoria is erect in habit, growing to between 1.5 and 3 metres tall. Although the species is evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...

, its foliage ages to various shades of yellow, orange and red. The leaves are rounded and prickly and generally obscure the small cream-coloured flowers which appear from mid-winter to mid-spring. The woody fruits are about 25 mm long and between 15 and 20 mm wide.

Distribution

The species occurs in the coastal region between Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....

 and Esperance
Esperance, Western Australia
Esperance is a large town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately east-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The shire of Esperance is home to 9,536 people as of the 2006 census, its major industries are tourism, agriculture,...

, including the Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park
Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in Western Australia , southeast of Perth, in the Shire of Ravensthorpe and the Shire of Jerramungup....

.

Taxonomy

The type specimen of Hakea victoria was collected near West Mount Barren
West Mount Barren
West Mount Barren is part of the Fitzgerald River National Park located between Bremer Bay and Hopetoun on the south coast of Western Australia the coordinates of the summit of West Mount Barren are ....

 (located in what is now the National Park) by botanist James Drummond
James Drummond (botanist)
James Drummond was a botanist and naturalist who was an early settler in Western Australia.-Early life:...

 and was first described by him in 1847 in The Inquirer newspaper. The specific epithet is named for Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....

.

Cultivation

The species requires a well drained sunny, situation and will tolerate moderate frost. Plants are not suited to humid conditions; even if they survive, foliage colour will be poor. Propagation is easy by seed, but quite difficult from cuttings.
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