Spreading shrub, often windswept, 0.2-2 m tall, 1-2.7 m diam., lignotuberous. Branchlets and young leaves appressed-sericeous. Leaves flattened, very thick, narrowly elliptic or obovate, 2-8 cm long, 4-11 mm wide, attenuate, widening at attachment, entire, rounded; mucro 1-3.5 mm long. Inflorescence of 60-80 flowers; involucre c. 3 mm long; rachis 7-17 mm long, tomentose; pedicels 3-6 mm long, glabrous or rarely sparsely tomentose. Perianth 3.5-6 mm long, claw pink, limb grey, white inside. Pistil c. 9 mm long; gland 0.2 mm high. Fruit obliquely ovate or obovate, 1.5-2.5 cm long, 0.9-1 cm wide, finely rugose; horns 3-5 mm long. Seed obliquely obovate, 16 mm long; wing broadly and fully down one side of seed body, narrowly and partly down other.

Flowers Jan.-Oct.

Occurs in coastal areas and islands, more rarely further inland, between Esperance and Israelite Bay in W.A., with a single record from Hopetoun to the west.

Found on granite, often in windswept localities.

W.A.: Mt Merivale, Esperance, J.S.Beard 2304 (PERTH); c. 22 km SW of Mt Ragged, A.S.George 2040 (PERTH); c. 58 km W of Point Malcolm, R.J.Hnatiuk 761178 (PERTH); NW Penin., Middle Is., Recherche Archipelago, A.S.Weston & M.E.Trudgen 8709 (PERTH); Observatory Is., A.S.Weston 9377 (PERTH).

Hakea clavata is notable for its very thick leaves which are elliptic in cross-section, and the large number of flowers per inflorescence. A number of fruits may develop from any one inflorescence, and these are borne on the thickened rachis. The flowers of H. clavata are unpleasantly scented.

W.R.Elliot & D.L.Jones, Encycl. Austral. Pl. 5: 195 (1990).

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 16 (1995), 17A (2000) and 17B (1999), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia