About Hakea ruscifolia Labill.
Hakea ruscifolia Labill., commonly called candle hakea, is a dense woody shrub that forms a lignotuber. It typically grows 0.5 to 3 metres (2 to 10 feet) high and 1.5 to 2 metres (5 to 7 feet) wide. Its branches usually grow in a columnar habit, with flowers that envelop the stems. It blooms from December to June, producing sweetly scented white flowers in leaf axils on short lateral outer branchlets. Its leaves are thickly crowded, small, and range in shape from elliptic to obovate, ending in a fine sharp point. Most leaves measure 2 to 4 cm (0.8 to 2 in) long and less than 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) wide. The species produces relatively small, smooth, compressed, ovoid-shaped fruit that is 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) long, less than 1 cm (0.4 in) wide, and ends in a small beak. Candle hakea is a widespread species found in coastal and inland areas, ranging from Eneabba to Augusta, extending east to Esperance. It grows in heath and scrubland on sand, gravelly clay, and laterite. It is a hardy ornamental species that tolerates moderate frost and works well as an understory shrub.
