Sweet Hakea

Hakea drupacea is an upright rounded shrub growing to 1–4 m (3–10 ft) tall. Smaller branches are hairy. The smooth needle-shaped leaves grow alternately, are 4–11 cm (1.6–4.3 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) wide ending in a sharp point. The leaf may divide into 2-8 segments. The inflorescence are short racemes of sweetly scented white or cream flowers tipped with pink or brownish pollen. The pedicel is 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long and the perianth 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and smooth. The style is smooth and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long. The flowers are abundant and appear in the outer leaf axils from March to June. The woody egg-shaped fruit are 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in) long and 15–19 mm (0.6–0.7 in) wide. The fruit surface is smooth with a few black pustules, ending with two prominent horns 2–4 mm (0.079–0.16 in) long.

Sweet-scented hakea occurs mainly as a coastal species, between Albany and east of Cape Arid and on the Recherche Archipelago Islands. The species is naturalised in South Africa (where it is known as soethakea, meaning "sweet hakea"), New Zealand and coastal Victoria. Grows in open heath or low shrubland areas with granite hillsides occasionally quartzite areas or coastal limestone cliffs.