Leaves flat with similar surfaces or terete and then entire or divided into segments or rarely trigonous.
Conflorescences axillary, raceme-like with paired flowers or in several- to many-flowered clusters and then flowers not regularly or obviously paired. Flowers zygomorphic. Perianth tube revolute and curved under the limb; tepals splitting to base or remaining fused and splitting on upper side only. Anthers 4, sessile. Hypogynous glands fused, horseshoe-shaped, obovoid, or rarely disc-shaped, rarely absent. Ovary shortly stipitate, glabrous; style longer than the perianth, curved and protruding from a slit in the perianth before being released; pollen presenter an oblique or lateral disc or an erect cone.
Follicle woody, surface smooth, wrinkled, blistered or warty, sometimes prominently beaked (apical portion of the fruit beyond the main swollen body of the fruit), often with apical horns (pair of hard points just behind fruit apex, often broken off in mature fruit); secondary thickening formed by the cambium, the fruit opening in 2 valves; seeds 2, compressed, testa expanded into a wing, usually at one end; seeds generally placed near the upper suture of the fruit and mostly borne in ± same direction as stalk of fruit.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | At least some leaves on plant divided. | 2 |
| Leaves not divided. | 6 |
| 2 | Flowering and fruiting rachis <2 cm long; follicles usually solitary; perianth glabrous; shrubs, lacking thick corky bark; flowers reddish purple. | Hakea purpurea |
| Flowering and fruiting rachis >2 cm long; follicles many per rachis; trees or shrubs with corky bark; flowers yellowish to whitish.
Back to 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Perianth in mature bud 2–5 mm long; gynoecium 8.5–11 mm long, style upright, pollen presenter a ± erect cone; follicles usually pubescent. | Hakea ednieana |
| Perianth in mature bud >5 mm long; gynoecium >18 mm long, style recurved, at least initially, pollen presenter an oblique disc; follicles glabrous.
Back to 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Leaf segments not divergent, flexible, usually 1–4, some undivided leaves often present. | Hakea ivoryi |
| Leaf segments divergent, ± rigid, 2–15.
Back to 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Shrub, never with fruit; branchlets shiny pubescent; raceme 5–8 cm long; leaf segments 2–7; known only from Keepit Dam near Gunnedah. | Hakea pulvinifera |
| Shrub or tree, forming fruits; branchlets ash-white pubescent; raceme 5–16 cm long; leaf segments 4–15; extreme NW corner of State.
Back to 4 | Hakea eyreana |
| 6 | Leaves flat (including trigonous in cross section). | 7 |
| Leaves terete.
Back to 1 | 15 |
| 7 | Pollen presenter conical; follicles not horned and leaves with obvious venation; perianth glabrous. | 8 |
| Pollen presenter oblique or lateral; follicles horned or not; leaf venation obvious or obscure; perianth pubescent or glabrous.
Back to 6 | 11 |
| 8 | Leaves 20–40 cm long. | Hakea dohertyi |
| Leaves <20 cm long.
Back to 7 | 9 |
| 9 | Leaves 4.5–30 mm wide, longitudinal veins usually 3–5; widespread in forest, chiefly on the coast and ranges, west to near Texas. | 10 |
| Leaves 1.5–4 mm wide; longitudinal veins 1–3; coastal heaths south from Eden.
Back to 8 | Hakea ulicina |
| 10 | Plants without a lignotuber, non-sprouting, killed by fire; branchlets initially appressed-pubescent with rust-brown hairs, pale, glabrescent or rarely sparsely hairy at flowering time. | Hakea dactyloides |
| Plants lignotuberous, resprouting after fire; branchlets with persistent dark brown hairs, tomentose or pubescent.
Back to 9 | Hakea laevipes |
| 11 | Pedicel and perianth pubescent; pollen presenter lateral below style apex; follicles not horned. | Hakea eriantha |
| Pedicel and perianth glabrous; pollen presenter an oblique disc; follicles horned or not horned.
Back to 7 | 12 |
| 12 | Venation on leaves obvious; flowers yellowish green, >60, rachis 4–7 cm long. | Hakea archaeoides |
| Venation on leaves obscure; flowers white, 4–40 flowers on rachis <2 mm long
Back to 11 | 13 |
| 13 | Leaves all flat, 5–20 mm wide; follicles 10–20 mm wide, covered with large blunt-topped warts. | 14 |
| Leaves sometimes a mixture of terete and flat, <3.5 mm wide; follicles 6–8 mm wide, ± smooth.
Back to 12 | Hakea microcarpa |
| 14 | Follicles 13–30 mm wide, covered with blunt-topped warts >1 mm high; gynoecium 6–6.5 mm long; rachises 1 per axil. | Hakea salicifolia |
| Follicles 6–12 mm wide, covered with with raised black blisters, rarely with rounded warts <0.5 mm high; gynoecium 7–10 mm long; rachises often more than 1 per axil.
Back to 13 | Hakea florulenta |
| 15 | Branchlets and leaves densely villous; follicle with seed borne at right angles to stalk. | Hakea gibbosa |
| Branchlets and leaves pubescent or glabrous, but not villous; follicle with seed in same line as stalk or somewhat oblique.
Back to 6 | 16 |
| 16 | Flowers small, perianth c. 2–2.5 mm long; gynoecium 3.5–4.5 mm long; pedicels pubescent. | 17 |
| Flowers larger, perianth >2.5 mm long; gynoecium 4–40 mm long; pedicels glabrous or pubescent.
Back to 15 | 19 |
| 17 | Conifer-like tree or shrub, 1–5 m high; follicles 3.5–4.5 cm long. | Hakea propinqua |
| Compact or spreading shrub or small tree 0.5–4.5 m high; follicles 2.5–3.5 cm long.
Back to 16 | 18 |
| 18 | Flowers yellow; perianth 1–2 mm long; at higher altitudes (usually above 800 m) in Blue Mts. | Hakea pachyphylla |
| Flowers white, pink in bud; perianth 2.5–4.5 mm long; coastal regions and adjacent ranges, south from Coffs Harbour.
Back to 17 | Hakea sericea |
| 19 | Perianth glabrous. | 20 |
| Perianth pubescent.
Back to 16 | 30 |
| 20 | Pedicels glabrous. | 21 |
| Pedicels pubescent.
Back to 19 | 24 |
| 21 | Flowers red or pink; follicles 3–7 cm long. | 22 |
| Flowers white; follicles <3 cm long.
Back to 20 | 23 |
| 22 | Perianth 10–15 mm long; gynoecium c. 40 mm long; follicles 5–7 cm long, 3–4 cm wide, densely and deeply wrinkled; coast and adjacent ranges, from Newcastle to Sydney. | Hakea bakeriana |
| Perianth c. 10 mm long; gynoecium 29–32 mm long; follicles 3–4 cm long, c. 1.5 cm wide smooth or roughened but not densely and deeply wrinkled; hilly sites north of Yetman.
Back to 21 | Hakea purpurea |
| 23 | Follicles 15–17 mm long, recurving on opening, distinctly horned; seed filling whole valve; flattened leaves sometimes mixed with terete leaves; tablelands and higher altitudes in wet or poorly drained sites. | Hakea microcarpa |
| Follicles c. 25 mm long, not recurving on opening, obscurely or not horned; seed filling only part of valve; leaves all terete; drier western regions.
Back to 21 | Hakea leucoptera |
| 24 | Leaves grooved below. | 25 |
| Leaves not grooved below.
Back to 20 | 27 |
| 25 | Leaves not spreading, 1.5–13.5 cm long; rachis woolly tomentose with rust-brown hairs; pedicels silky; seed wing light brown to off-white; confined to the Dorrigo area. | Hakea ochroptera |
| Leaves spreading, 1.3–8 cm long; rachis with mixed white and rust-brown hairs; pedicels villous, tomentose or with appressed hairs; seed wing dark-coloured; widespread species.
Back to 24 | 26 |
| 26 | Gynoecium 9–12 mm long; perianth 4.2–7.2 mm long; pedicels tomentose or appressed pubescent, hairs white and/or rust-brown; branchlets quickly glabrescent or persistently and densely tomentose. | Hakea decurrens |
| Gynoecium 4–7.5 mm long; perianth 2.5–4.7 mm long; pedicels villous, hairs white; branchlets persistently woolly tomentose.
Back to 25 | Hakea sericea |
| 27 | Follicles with beak long-oblique down one side of follicle only; rachis rust-brown tomentose, 0.6–1 mm long; gynoecium 6.5–8 mm long; NE NSW. | Hakea actites |
| Follicles with beak apical, ± equally represented on both sides of follicle; rachis white tomentose, or if some rust-brown hairs present, the rachis more than 3 mm long; gynoecium 7–12 mm long; in southern and western parts of teh State.
Back to 24 | 28 |
| 28 | Young growth with white appressed hairs; follicles wrinkled or warty; rachis white tomentose, less than 4 mm long. | 29 |
| Young growth not with shining white pubescence; follicles ± smooth; rachis 6–14 mm long, white tomentose or with appressed white and rust-coloured hairs; drier western regions.
Back to 27 | Hakea leucoptera |
| 29 | Mature follicles 4.3–5.5 cm long, 3–3.5 cm wide, densely warty; restricted to the Blue Mtns. | Hakea constablei |
| Mature follicles 2.3–2.7 cm long, 1.7–2 cm wide, coarsely wrinkled or blistered; subalpine areas south from the A.C.T.
Back to 28 | Hakea lissosperma |
| 30 | Conflorescences elongated, rachis 9–25 mm long; follicles usually more than one per conflorescence, smooth; shrub with drooping foliage and corky bark, leaves 2–30 cm long. | 31 |
| Conflorescence not elongated, rachis 0–3 mm long; follicles usually one per conflorescence, smooth or variously warted; shrubs or trees, leaves not drooping, 1.5–15 cm long.
Back to 19 | 32 |
| 31 | Conflorescences 3–5 cm long; leaves flexible, mostly 11–30 cm long and 0.8–1.4 mm diam.; valve of fruit 10–12 mm wide; confined to the gorges east of Armidale. | Hakea fraseri |
| Conflorescences 5–25 cm long; leaves ± rigid, mostly 15–68 cm long and 0.9–2.5 mm diam.; valves of fruit moslty 13–20 mm wide; confined to the Collarenabri district.
Back to 30 | Hakea lorea |
| 32 | Mature follicles covered all over with raised warts or blisters. | 33 |
| Mature follicles ± smooth, not covered with warts or blisters
Back to 30 | 36 |
| 33 | Leaves grooved on lower surface; perianth often with sparser hairs than pedicel. | 34 |
| Leaves not grooved; perianth with sparser hairs than pedicel, usually quickly glabrescent.
Back to 32 | 35 |
| 34 | Pedicel and perianth with sparse appressed shining white hairs, sparser on perianth; follicles prominently horned, beak 5–8 mm long; south from the Budawang Ra. | Hakea macraeana |
| Pedicel and perianth with moderately densely white raised hairs, sometimes denser on perianth; follicles obscurely horned, beak to 10 mm long; north from Torrington area.
Back to 33 | Hakea macrorrhyncha |
| 35 | Spreading shrub; follicles 20–30 mm long, 15–20 mm wide; subalpine areas in ranges south from the A.C.T. | Hakea lissosperma |
| Conifer-like tree or shrub; follicles 40–55 mm long, 30–40 mm wide; rocky outcrops in Blue Mts, rare.
Back to 33 | Hakea constablei |
| 36 | Mucro of leaf erect; follicles narrowly ovoid, 6–8 mm wide, gradually tapering into long beak, encircled by toothed fringe in lower half; coast and tablelands, often in wet or poorly drained sites. | Hakea teretifolia |
| Mucro of leaf bent; follicles ovoid, 15–20 mm wide, with ± rounded apex, lacking a fringe in lower half; drier western regions, from Slopes to plains.
Back to 32 | Hakea tephrosperma |
