Pimelea curviflora R.Br. APNI* Description: Subshrub or shrub, 20–150 cm high, stems hairy.
Leaves mostly oblong to elliptic or oblanceolate, 5–20 mm long, 2–8 mm wide, hairy on both surfaces or almost so on the upper surface and the lower surface bearing hairs that are appressed to spreading and then short and fine and slightly tangled.
Flowers in terminal heads, often elongating slightly in fruit. Bracts absent or poorly differentiated, usually shorter than the flowers. Flowers mostly 6–20 in each head, 5–12 mm long, dark red, yellow or greenish, mostly hairy.
Fruit 2–4 mm long, green.
Distribution and occurrence: Toxic to stock.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP
Text by G. J. Harden
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the varieties | |
| 1 | Lower surface of leaves sparsely hairy with coarse appressed or loosely appressed hairs; flowers red to yellow, with long coarse appressed hairs; fruit curved. Much-branched subshrub or shrub, 20–120 cm high. Leaves narrow-elliptic to elliptic or oblanceolate, 5–10 mm long, 2–4 mm wide. Peduncles usually absent. Clusters 4–12-flowered. Flowers 6–8 mm long, hairs denser on the persistent base | var. curviflora |
| Lower surface of leaves with appressed or spreading hairs of variable thickness, length and density; flowers greenish yellow, sepals often dark red, sparsely hairy with short hairs; fruit straight, rarely curved in var. gracilis | 2 |
| 2 | Stems and lower surface and margins of leaves usually with appressed or loosely appressed hairs or sometimes with short spreading hairs | 3 |
| Stems and lower surface and margins of the leaves with long sparse spreading hairs. Tufted subshrub 20–50 cm high. Leaves narrow-elliptic, 5–22 mm long, 2–4 mm wide. Heads 7–22-flowered. Flowers 5–9 mm long, with short fine loosely appressed hairs becoming denser on the persistent base. Fruit straight
Back to 1 | var. divergens |
| 3 | Leaves pale or dull green, upper surface glabrous or sparsely hairy and lower surface with ± appressed hairs | 4 |
| Leaves yellowish green, upper surface glabrous and lower surface glabrous or with scattered short spreading hairs, hairs often restricted to margins and midvein. Much-branched subshrub 15–50 cm high. Leaves narrow-elliptic to elliptic, 5–15 mm long, 2–5 mm wide. Heads 5–14-flowered. Flowers 9–10 mm long, yellow-greenish, with short fine appressed hairs becoming sparser on the persistent base. Fruit straight
Back to 2 | var. acuta |
| 4 | Leaves with fine or coarse hairs on the lower surface | 5 |
| Leaves ± glabrous except for a few very short coarse appressed hairs. Subshrub 15–30 cm high. Leaves linear to narrow-elliptic or oblanceolate, 5–11 mm long, c. 2 mm wide. Peduncle absent. Heads 6–16-flowered. Flowers 5–7 mm long, sparsely hairy with short hairs. Fruit straight
Back to 3 | var. subglabrata |
| 5 | Shrub 50–150 cm high; pedicels covered with long antrorse hairs; flowers sparsely hairy with short, usually fine antrorse hairs; fruit occasionally curved. Leaves narrow-elliptic to elliptic or narrow-obovate to obovate, 4–20 mm long, 1–6 mm wide, pale or dull green, upper surface glabrous or sparsely hairy and lower surface with ± appressed hairs. Heads 4–22-flowered, often slightly elongated. Peduncles 0–10 mm long. Flowers greenish yellow; bisexuals 8–10 mm long, shortly hairy; females similar except usually 6–7 mm long. Fruit occasionally curved | var. gracilis |
| Subshrub 15–30 cm high; pedicels covered with short appressed hairs; flowers sparsely hairy with short coarse appressed hairs that may be finer on the tube; fruit straight. Leaves mostly narrow-elliptic to elliptic, 6–19 mm long, 1–7 mm wide, pale or dull green, upper surface glabrous or sparsely hairy and lower surface with ± appressed hairs. Heads usually 5–20-flowered. Flowers 6–9 mm long. Fruit straight
Back to 4 | var. sericea |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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