Hakea laurina pin-cushion hakea

Hakea laurina. From An Illustrated Manual of Pacific Coast Trees, Howard E. McMinn & Evelyn Maino

You will fall in love with the blossoms of H. laurina, especially if you have never seen a spherical flower before. The bright red pompom bristles with firm cream-colored kinky stamens and keeps very well if picked – generally one of the 4-inch leaves is intimately meshed with it. The woody beaked fruits contain two black winged seeds that can easily be germinated and grown, but not in poorly drained adobe.

Several mature standard trees have been lost, probably because of cold locations. Specimens in the residential area are still being sought.