Royal Hakia

9 comments

As an old retired adventurer from way back I often think back on all the exciting places and sights I’ve seen, and things that I’ve done, and this week for a change I thought about all the wonderful plants I’ve seen around the world. Many of them can now be seen in the Botanical Gardens in Britain, However there is one plant that I do not believe is grown here and I consider it to be one of the most unique plants in the world. This wonderful scrub comes from the Barren Ranges of the Fitzgerald River National Park at the Southern end of Western Australia, these plants are only found here and nowhere else in the world. I only ever saw it once but the sight will remain with me forever. The first ones I saw were standing like sentinels on a hillside and the striking coloration of the leaves in the sunlight was spellbinding. I can only describe them as the most stunning plant I’ve ever seen and I feel they should really be called, “The Fire Bush” because when looking deep into the plant its like looking into different stages of a fire. At the old base of the plant it looks as black as charcoal, the next section has a deep purple-brown look, above that there are some deep red glows in the heart of the plant like glowing embers, above that again the deep colors are red with brownish edges. With each years growth there is a distinct difference in color. The recent years growth is a bright green with a yellow heart, then below that is the orange and red of hot flames. I,m trying to describe this remarkable plant but only pictures can really tell the story. The plant I’m talking about is the ROYAL HAKEA (Hakea victoria). I took photographs with my old Pentax SLR. What a pity I didn’t have a digital camera, but I think they were just being invented in the late nineties when I saw it. I’ve taken pictures with my digital camera of those old prints and am quite pleased with the results. Photographs help to describe this plant but there’s nothing like actually seeing it in its natural surroundings, especially when there’s a Tawny-crowned Honeyeater flitting among the plants, poking its head within the minute flower to feed on the nectar found deep in the heart of the leaves. If you Google the name on the net you will see other wonderful pictures of this remarkable plant.

• 2 Jan, 2010
• 8 likes

More blog posts by tanny