Tiny Tuesday # 52

I can't hardly believe it - a whole year since Wombat came up with this brilliant scheme for a Tiny Tuesday challenge.

This little delight is a Hakea - Burrendong Beauty.  It has an interesting history. It was discovered growing at Burrendong Arboretum in the central west of New South Wales in the 1980s, presumably from a batch of seed sent across from Western Australia. As it grew and flowered it was realised that it didn't fit the description of any known species. Subsequent investigation produced a level of excitement as it was thought to be Hakea crassinervia, a species believed, at the time, to be extinct. On more detailed examination, this identification was found to be incorrect and the plant was found to be a hybrid with H.myrtoides and H.petiolaris as parents. As both parent species were growing in the general vicinity of the hybrid plant at the Arboretum, it seems possible that the hybrid arose at Burrendong rather than as a seedling from a batch of seed sent to the Arboretum.


It's an outstanding shrub when in flower.  Mine is only tiny, planted about 2-3 months ago, so I;m delighted it's flowering at this early stage in its development.