Crowea exalata.
Small or Fine Leaf Crowea, common in south-eastern Queensland is a variable species.
It can be a low growing shrub that is wider than high (1 m wide and 30 cm high).
More often it is a perennial shrub up to around 1 m high.
The top is rounded and the new branches are not obviously angled.
There are 2 ridges down the stem under the leaf insertions.
There may be hairs between the ridges.
The narrow alternately arranged leaves are mostly under 5 to 6 cm long and 1 cm wide.
They are linear to spathulate with a wider rounded end tapering to a narrow base.
The tip has a small point or mucro.
There are no hairs but a lot of oil glands.
Inflorescences may appear to be in the leaf axils but are terminal on short axillary side branches.
These branches, sometimes only a few mms long have 1 to 3 small leaves or bracts.
The solitary flowers are on a pedicel around 3 mm long that is swollen just under the flower.
The pedicel has a few hairs.
The bases of the 2.5 mm long sepals are fused into a tube with 5 wide lobes.
The calyx may be smooth or have a few small hairs.
The star-shaped flowers are up to 2.5 cm across with 5 ovate petals 12 to 15 mm long.
The overlapping petals are pale to deep pink or mauve and occasionally white.
The 10 stamens have wide filaments that overlap slightly as they curve around the ovary.
The filaments have hairs on their inner surface.
The 1 to 2 mm long anthers open inwards.
The slightly longer appendage on their outer surface has very dense hairs on the inner surface.
Initially lying over the anther it later bends back (outwards) exposing the hairs.
The dark green nectiferous disc between the stamens and ovary is lobed.
The superior ovary has 5 carpels that are fused just at the base.
The single very short hairy style has a tiny spherical stigma.
Each carpel can develop into a follicle that is slightly fused at the base to the other follicles.
The 7 mm long follicles open along 1 side to release the 2 kidney-shaped seeds.
There are a number of often similar cultivars with flowers in shades of pink and mauve.
There is also a cultivar with white flowers.
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Also seen as a species plant or crossed with C. exalata is:
Crowea salinga.
The Willow-leaved Crowea is a small shrub up to around 1 m high.
Branches have prominent angles.
Linear leaves, with no petiole are elliptic to lance-shaped.
Larger than those of C. exalata they are up to around 8 cm long and 2 cm wide.
There are oil glands.
Flowers are true axillary and on a pedicel up to around 1 cm long.
At the base are 4 tiny bracteoles.
Flowers are also larger than C. exalata being 3.5 to 4.5 cm across.
The fused sepal bases form a cup with 5 wide lobes that may have tiny hairs.
The 5 mauve to pink (rarely white) elliptic petals spread out like a star.
The stamens, ovary and fruit are similar to C. exalata.
J.F.
