PlantFiles: Willow-leaved Hakea
Hakea salicifolia

This is a large shrub to small tree, growing in the coastal regions of New South Wales in Australia.I have two in my garden which I grew from seed. Like most Hakeas, the seed capsules are large woody pods, which contain two winged seeds. They are strongly adapted to fire and the seed is mostly retained on the shrub until the shrub is killed or damaged by fire. The thick pods protect the seed, which is then shed a few days after the fire, when they germinate very readily as soon as there is enough moisture.
If pods are picked, they usually open in a few days and the seed are usually easy to germinate. The flowers are very numerous in clusters in the leaf axils and have a light scent.
Both shrubs in our garden have now grown to about 4 metres high and have proved a popular food source to the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos. When they are feeding, they perch in the trees and cut off a twig and then methodically open each pod to extract the seeds. The result is a very rough pruning of the shrubs, with the ground strewn with twigs and open seed capsules. The shrubs seem none the worse for the experience and continue to thrive.