Description: Erect or pendent shrubs, the whole plant or at least young parts with a dense indumentum of dendritic or stellate hairs and/or peltate scales; stems much-branched, often dichotomous below inflorescences; branches with 1 pair of prophylls (smaller leaves at base of a shoot) and 1 pair of acute cataphylls at right angles to them near the base.
Leaves petiolate, with curved venation.
Inflorescence terminal, of 1 or more fan-like cymes (cymules) each subtended by a pair of narrow acute bracts; cymules solitary or in determinate or indeterminate conflorescences; flowers in each cymule 3–13, developing centrifugally, the central flower(s) male, lateral flowers female. Male flower 4-merous, with an ovoid to reniform anther opposite each tepal on a short filament; anthers many-locular. Female flower 4-merous; ovary cylindrical to barrel-shaped.
Fruit mostly ellipsoidal, crowned by the persistent tepals.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 8 spp., from Sri Lanka & Burma to the Solomon Is. & Aust. Aust.: 4 spp. (2 spp. endemic), Qld, N.S.W., Vic.
Text by A. L. Quirico
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Inflorescence a single cymule of usually 3 flowers; peduncle erect, c. 2 mm long; leaves cuneate to spathulate, less than 30 mm long and less than 10 mm wide; indumentum white, appearing grey-green with age | Notothixos incanus |
| Inflorescence of 3 or more cymules on a common axis; cymules with usually 7–9 flowers; leaves narrow-ovate to elliptic, mostly more than 30 mm long and more than 10 mm wide; indumentum golden (rarely greyish or silvery), or white or tawny | 2 |
| 2 | Inflorescences determinate, of 1 terminal or 2 lateral fan-like cymules; bracts 0.5–0.8 mm long | Notothixos subaureus |
| Inflorescences indeterminate, of 4–12 decussate pairs of cymules in racemose arrangement; axis usually 25–60 mm long; bracts 1–1.5 mm long
Back to 1 | Notothixos cornifolius |
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