Pimelea microcephala, commonly known as mallee rice-flower or shrubby rice-flower[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family
Thymelaeaceae and is
endemic to
mainland Australia. It is an erect shrub with compact heads of male or female, white to yellow or greenish flowers on separate plants, the heads surrounded by 2 or 4 leaf-like
involucral bracts.
Description
Pimelea microcephala is an erect,
dioecious shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.7–4 m (2 ft 4 in – 13 ft 1 in) and has glabrous stems. Its leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, linear to more or less narrowly elliptic, mostly 7–40 mm (0.28–1.57 in) long and 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) wide on a short
petiole. The flowers are white to yellow or greenish and arranged on the ends of branches in compact heads on a
peduncle 2–13 mm (0.079–0.512 in) long. The flowers are
glabrous inside and usually densely curly-hairy on the outside, on a hairy
pedicel. Male flowers are in heads of 8 to 100 flowers, the
floral tube 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) long. Female flowers are in heads of 7 to 12, each 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long. The
sepals are 0.2–2 mm (0.0079–0.0787 in) long and the
stamens of male flowers are shorter than the sepals. Flowering mainly occurs from April to September and the fruit is a succulent, red
nut.[2][3][4][5]
Pimelea microcephala subsp. glabra (
F.Muell. &
Tate ex
J.M.Black) Threlfall[8] (previously known as Pimelea microcephala var. glabra F.Muell. & Tate ex J.M.Black)[9] has 8 to 64 male flowers, the floral tube 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and the flowers sparsely hairy on the outside and often becoming glabrous.[10][11]
Pimelea microcephala R.Br. subsp. microcephala[12] has 13 to 100 male flowers, the floral tube 3–8 mm (0.12–0.31 in) long and the flowers are covered with short, fine, curly hairs on the outside.[13][14]
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abcHarden, Gwen J.
"Pimelea microcephala". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
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abRye, Barbara L.
"Pimelea microcephala". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
^Rye, Barbara L.
"Pimelea microcephala subsp. glabra". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^Rye, Barbara L.
"Pimelea microcephala subsp. microcephala". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 6 February 2023.