Hakea > Hakea Index

Needlewood (Hakea leucoptera) gets its common name from the very sharp points of the leaves. The leaves alternate up the stems, are 2-10 cm long, 1.2-2 mm diameter. They are narrow cylindrical in shape, hairy to becoming hairless, and are straight (rarely curved) ending in a sharp point.

Needlewood (Hakea leucoptera), Olive Pink Botanic Garden Alice Springs NT
Needlewood (Hakea leucoptera), Olive Pink Botanic Garden Alice Springs NT

The spider-like flowers has 4 white to yellow ‘petals’, and are in clusters of 18-45 flowers located at the base of the leaves.

Needlewood (Hakea leucoptera), Olive Pink Botanic Garden Alice Springs NT
Needlewood (Hakea leucoptera), Olive Pink Botanic Garden Alice Springs NT

Found in central parts of mainland Australia, the Hakea leucoptera is a shrub or can grow as a small tree. As well as the cylindrical, rigid, sharp pointed leaves, it has flowers that appear in early spring and summer that are white, cream-coloured or yellow.

Common name
Needlewood, Needle Hakea, Silver Needlewood, Silver Needle Bush, Needle Bush, Pin Bush, Pinbush, Booldoobah, Kuloa, Kulua, Kuluva, Uri, Water Tree.

Leucoptera, is from the Greek leucos, white and pteron, wing, that refer to the ashy-white seed wings (although they can also be a brownish-grey).

More information and images of the Needlewood (Hakea leucoptera) in a garden in Alice Springs NT.


  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Phylum: Charophyta
  • Class: Equisetopsida
  • Subclass: Magnoliidae
  • Superorder: Proteanae
  • Order: Proteales
  • Family: Proteaceae
  • Genus: Hakea
  • Species: Hakea Leucoptera

Footnote & References

  1. Hakea leucoptera R.Br., Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2911444
  2. Hakea Leucoptera, Woolshed Thurgoona Landcare Group, https://wtlandcare.org/details/hakea-leucoptera/

HakeaHakea Index Hakea divaricata (Fork-leaved Corkwood) Hakea drupacea (Sweet Hakea) Hakea lasiocarpha Hakea laurina (Pincushion Hakea) Hakea lehmanniana (Blue Hakea) Hakea leucoptera (Needlewood) Hakea lorea (Long-leaved Corkwood) Hakea trifurcata (Two-leafed Hakea) Hakea victoria (Royal Hakea)

FloraFlora in Australia Flora Index Acacia Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paws) Annual Yellowtop Apium prostratum subsp. prostratum var filiforme Apple Bush (Pterocaulon sphacelatum) Australian Bluebell Australian Gossypium Banksia Batswing Coral Tree Billy Buttons Birdsville Indigo Blue Pincushion Bush Banana Callistemon Callitris drummondii (Drummond’s Cypress Pine) Calothamnus quadrifidus Cape Honeysuckle Cassia fistula (Golden Shower) Cattle Bush Common Heath Crotalaria Darwinia wittwerorum (Wittwer’s Mountain Bell) Daviesia oppositifolia (Rattle-pea) Desert Oaks Drumsticks Eremophila Eucalyptus Ficus Flannel Cudweed (Actinobole uliginosum) Georges Indigo Goatshead Burr (Sclerolaena bicornis) Golden Everlasting Goodenia Gossypium Grass and Grasses Grass Trees Grevillea Grey Germander Hakea Kapok Bush (Aerva javanica) Lambertia sp Leptospermum MacDonnell Ranges Cycad Maireana scleroptera Mexican Poppy Minnie Daisy Mistletoe Family Nardoo Native Apricot Nicotiana megalosiphon subspecies sessilifolia Nuytsia floribunda Orange Spade Flower Orchidaceae Parakeelyas (Calandrinia) Pebble Bush (Stylobasium spathulatum) Perennial Yellow Top Pink Everlasting Pink Rock Wort Poached Egg Daisy Portulaca Proteaceae Ptilotus Quandong Resurrection Fern Rosy Dock Ruby Saltbush Santalum Solanum Spike Centaury Spinifex Storkbill (Erodium cygnorum) Striped Mint Bush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tall Saltbush Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Tribulus eichlerianus Upside-down Plant Urodon dasyphylla Variable Daisy Waratah (Telopea) Wertabona Daisy White Cedar (Melia azedarach) White Indigo White Paper Daisy Wild Passionfruit Wild Stock Woolly-Headed Burr Daisy Woolly Bush Yellow-keeled Swainsona