Crowea.
The 3 species of Waxflowers, in Family Rutaceae are native to Australia.
Crowea exalata occurs down the coast from Queensland to Victoria and the ACT.
Crowea angustifolia is native to Western Australia and Crowea saligna to New South Wales.
There are also a number of subspecies and some cultivars.
All the species are cultivated.
Most of the evergreen shrubs are around 1 m high but they range from 0.25 to 3.5 m.
With erect or spreading branches they are up to 1 m wide.
Small branches may be slightly to prominently angled.
There may be small wings running down the stem from the base of the petiole.
There may be oil glands and fine simple hairs.
The leaves, with or without a petiole are alternately arranged in a spiral.
They are from 1.5 to around 7 cm long and 2 to 15 mm wide.
The green or grey-green blades can be linear, elliptic, ovate, obovate or oblanceolate.
The edge is smooth, oil glands are present and the tip may have a short abrupt point.
Inflorescences are a solitary flower in the leaf axils or terminal on short side branches.
The pedicel, up to 5 mm long has up to 4 bracteoles near the base.
There are 5 free ovate to round sepals a few mms long.
The 5 overlapping ovate petals form a star shaped corolla up to 3 or 3.5 cm across.
There are some hairs on the outer surface of the pink, mauve or white petals.
Petals persist on the fruit.
The 10 stamens are in 1 or 2 whorls with flattened filaments of equal or unequal lengths.
The filaments have hairs on the inner surface.
The dorsifixed anthers open inwards or sideways through longitudinal slits.
The anthers have a few hairs and a 3 mm long lance-shaped appendage.
The apendage is densely hairy.
The nectary disc is around the base of the ovary or between the stamens.
It can be a ring or separate lobes.
The superior ovary has 5 carpels that are fused at the base.
Each carpel has 2 ovules.
The short styles are fused and the stigma is roughly spherical.
The fruit can be 1 follicle but usually are 2 to 5 joined at the base.
Other flower parts may be attached.
Follicles open explosively.
They are distinguished from the very similar 2 species of Eriostemons by having densely hairy anther appendages and pedicels no longer than 4 mm.
J.F.
