On our August outing to Mt Zero we chose Hakea benthamii as our P o M after finding many specimens, all flowering beautifully and spreading their lovely scent.
Hakea benthamii (Proteaceae) grows as a small-medium shrub (photo above) sometimes up to 4m high. Although its range extends from SE Queensland to near Cooktown, it is sparsely distributed on the coastal ranges and tablelands.
The perfumed flowers are creamy-white with hints of pink, growing in clusters in the leaf axils (photo above).
The fruits are hard woody capsules with an unusual beaked shaped (photo above).
Hakea benthamii was previously called Hakea plurinervia, reflecting the multiple veins in its distinctive leaves (photo above). However, its was subsequently noticed that H. plurinervia had been applied to fossil plants prior to formal description of the living plant, hence the need to change its name (Reference: Ian M. Turner (2014) “Names of Extant Angiosperm Species that are Illegitimate Homonyms of Fossils,” Annales Botanici Fennici 51(5), 305-317)