Leaves scattered or imbricate, sometimes stem-clasping but not sheathing, usually concolorous, flat to concave or keeled; sessile or petiolate.
Flowers solitary, axillary in upper leaf axils or extending along the branches to form leafy inflorescences; bracts numerous, imbricate, grading in size to sepals. Sepals 5, usually glabrous except for ciliolate margins. Corolla tube cylindrical or campanulate, shorter or much longer than sepals, glabrous; lobes spreading or erect, shorter or longer than tube, glabrous, usually ± obtuse, imbricate in bud. Stamens 5; filaments short, inserted in the throat; anthers included in tube or half-exserted, versatile. Nectary of 5 scales, rarely joined. Ovary 5-locular with several ovules per loculus; placentation axile; style inserted in deep depression in ovary, short or long and exserted.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Flowers with corolla tube shorter than sepals, lobes as long or longer than tube | 2 |
| Flowers with corolla tube longer than sepals, lobes shorter or as long as tube | 8 |
| 2 | Leaves with apex acute or acuminate | 3 |
| Leaves with apex more or less obtuse
Back to 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Leaves with base cuneate; flowers more or less sessile, crowded into more or less terminal heads | Epacris breviflora |
| Leaves with base cordate; flowers shortly pedunculate, often extending down branches to form long, leafy inflorescences
Back to 2 | Epacris microphylla |
| 4 | Leaves more or less rhombic or broad-elliptic | 5 |
| Leaves elliptic, oblong or ovate
Back to 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Leaves 4–12 mm long, 3–8 mm wide; base obtuse and stem-clasping; petiole 0.7–2.5 mm long; flowers 5–6.5 mm diam | Epacris coriacea |
| Leaves 2–4 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide; base truncate; petiole less than 1 mm long; flowers 7–10 mm diam
Back to 4 | Epacris glacialis |
| 6 | Leaves with apex upturned; petiole lacking; flowers sessile, clustered at end of branches | Epacris petrophila |
| Leaves with straight apex; petiole short; flowers pedunculate, forming leafy inflorescences near end of branches, not clustered
Back to 4 | 7 |
| 7 | Branchlets finely pubescent; leaves elliptic to ovate or rarely oblong, thick with prominent midrib on lower surface; peduncles to 2 mm long | Epacris rigida |
| Branchlets more or less glabrous; leaves elliptic-oblong or rarely ovate, very thick, wedge-shaped but midrib not prominent on lower surface; peduncles 1.5–4 mm long
Back to 6 | Epacris muelleri |
| 8 | Leaves rhombic, obovate or oblanceolate, rarely elliptic, apex usually obtuse | 9 |
| Leaves ovate or elliptic, apex acute or acuminate
Back to 1 | 11 |
| 9 | Procumbent or ascending shrubs to c. 20 cm high; branches with prominent ridged leaf scars | Epacris crassifolia |
| Slender to more robust shrubs, more than 30 cm high; branches with inconspicuous, short, cup-shaped leaf scars
Back to 8 | 10 |
| 10 | Leaves more or less rhombic or circular, more than 3 mm wide; flowers in short leafy heads | Epacris robusta |
| Leaves obovate or elliptic, usually less than 3 mm wide; flowers in long leafy inflorescences
Back to 9 | Epacris obtusifolia |
| 11 | Leaves with base obtuse or cordate | 12 |
| Leaves with base truncate or cuneate
Back to 8 | 15 |
| 12 | Corolla tube ca 8 mm long, slightly longer than sepals | 13 |
| Corolla tube more than 9 mm long, much longer than sepals
Back to 11 | 14 |
| 13 | Leaves 2–6.5 mm long, 1.4–4 mm wide; capsule c. 2 mm long | Epacris pulchella |
| Leaves 7–21 mm long, 4.4–9 mm wide; capsule c. 2.5 mm long
Back to 12 | Epacris purpurascens |
| 14 | Leaves ca 9 mm long; sepals 2.5–4 mm long, usually acute; corolla tube mostly ca 14 mm long, lobes ca 3 mm long | Epacris reclinata |
| Leaves often more than 9 mm long; sepals 4.5–7 mm long, usually acuminate with a mucro; corolla tube often more than 14 mm long, lobes more than 3 mm long
Back to 12 | Epacris longiflora |
| 15 | Flowers few or in short leafy heads near end of branches | 16 |
| Flowers many, in long leafy inflorescences
Back to 11 | 18 |
| 16 | Leaves narrow-elliptic or ovate to elliptic, less than 3 mm wide; petiole ca 0.5 mm long; corolla tube 4–6 mm long | Epacris paludosa |
| Leaves broad-ovate or elliptic, more than 3 mm wide; petiole distinct, 0.8–2 mm long; corolla tube more than 6 mm long
Back to 15 | 17 |
| 17 | Branchlets villous; leaves hairy on both surfaces; sepals 7–10 mm long; corolla tube 8–12 mm long | Epacris hamiltonii |
| Branchlets finely pubescent; leaves glabrous; sepals 3–4 mm long, corolla tube 15–19 mm long
Back to 16 | Epacris sparsa |
| 18 | Leaves with a distinct petiole 0.9–1.4 mm long; flowers erect or spreading; sepals 6–10 mm long | Epacris calvertiana |
| Leaves more or less sessile or with short petiolar area; flowers often pendent; sepals 2–5 mm long
Back to 15 | Epacris impressa |
