Pimelea gnidia

Detailed description

An erect to suberect much-branched shrub up to 1.5 m tall (reduced in stature on exposed sites and poor soils). Branches and branchlets ascending, glabrous or sparsely hairy at leaf axils and hairy on receptacles; internodes usually short. Node buttresses, brown or black, occupy the whole internode and may be prominent after leaf fall; internodes 2–7 mm long. Bark ages to grey. Leaves decussate, ascending, later sometimes patent or deflexed, often imbricate, on petioles 1–3 mm long. Lamina pale to medium or olive green, coriaceous, elliptic, ovate or sometimes oblong, obovate or lanceolate, 5–35 × 2–7 mm, keeled, acute, blunt-pointed or slightly apiculate, base cuneate. Margins thickened, slightly down-turned; midvein prominent abaxially, sunken above; lateral vein pattern camptodromus but not clearly evident; stomata only on under side. Inflorescences few to many-flowered, pedicels 1–2 mm long, persistent. Involucral bracts 4, similar to leaves but usually wider. Plants gynodioecious. Flowers hairy on outside; inside hairless, fragrant, white or flushed rose, sometimes wholly pink often with lower tube red. Calyx lobes open in salverform fashion. Female tube to 5.5 mm long, ovary portion 3 mm, calyx lobes 3.5 × 1.8 mm. female tube to 9 mm long, ovary portion 3.5 mm, calyx lobes 3.2 × 1.8 mm; staminodes short, at mouth of tube. Anther filaments inserted below mouth of tube; anthers yellow. Ovary with short hairs at summit and to about half-way down. Fruits ovoid, green, drying brown, 4 mm long. Seeds ovoid 3.4 × 1.6 mm. The dried hypanthia disperse with fruits inside.