Silky hakea
Hakea sericea
Family · Proteaceae · Irritating
The Australian shrub of rigid needles that has turned whole central sierras into impassable walls. After a fire it opens all its capsules at once and seeds the ground with thousands.
Scrubland · Uplands · Pine woods
Also known asneedlebush, bushy needlewood
How to tell it
Rigid needle leaves with a sharp tip that genuinely stab. Hard grey woody capsules clinging to old branches, with a curved beak. Small white flowers in winter.
What it is confused with
No dangerous lookalikes known in the Iberian Peninsula.
What it is for
None. It was planted as hedge and windbreak, and is today one of the costliest invaders to fight in Portugal. Where hakea grows, scrub stops being crossable and fire gets worse.
The law says
An invasive alien species in Portugal, with control plans in several sierras. Do not plant or propagate it.