Inflorescences usually pseudoterminal, head-like clusters of sessile or subsessile flowers or, less commonly, the flowers stalked and solitary or in clusters of 2 or 3; bracts sometimes enlarged, forming an involucre. Flowers 5-merous, white, yellow or pink to purple; free part of hypanthium usually much exceeding the ovary summit. Calyx persistent in fruit. Petals free. Stamens numerous, in one or more series, exceeding the petals. Ovary mostly 2- or 3-locular; placentation apical with ovules few and pendent or placentation axile and ovules numerous.
The Australian species assigned to Kunzea ericoides, a species restricted to New Zealand, are being revised. Hybrids may occur between any two species that grow together or in close proximity. Probable hybrids that have been found include: K. capitata X K. ambigua, K. capitata X K. rupestris, K. parvifolia X K. juniperoides and K. parvifolia X K. occidentalis. All these have pale pink flowers and are usually morphologically intermediate between the presumed parent species.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Flowers pink to purple | 2 |
| Flowers white or yellow | 5 |
| 2 | Leaves mostly alternate or occasionally opposite on some branchlets | 3 |
| Leaves mostly opposite or more or less opposite or occasionally alternate on some branchlets
Back to 1 | Kunzea opposita |
| 3 | Leaves with 3 main veins | Kunzea capitata |
| Leaves with only the midvein visible
Back to 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Leaves linear or linear-lanceolate; hypanthium glabrous or shortly pubescent | Kunzea parvifolia |
| Leaves narrow-obovate; hypanthium villous
Back to 3 | Kunzea obovata |
| 5 | Flowers in head-like groups at ends of branchlets | 6 |
| Flowers not in heads, crowded on leafy side branches or in axils of upper leaves
Back to 1 | 14 |
| 6 | Ovary 3-locular | 7 |
| Ovary 2-locular
Back to 5 | 13 |
| 7 | Leaves with at least 3 main veins; young stems usually with long, spreading hairs | Kunzea capitata |
| Leaves with midvein only; young stems usually with appressed hairs or shortly pubescent
Back to 6 | 8 |
| 8 | Leaves narrow-elliptic to broad-elliptic or obovate, ± 0.75 mm wide | 9 |
| Leaves linear to terete, more or less 0.5 mm wide
Back to 7 | 11 |
| 9 | Leaves with lamina tapering to a short petiole, narrow-elliptic to obovate, obtuse to acute | 10 |
| Leaves with lamina abruptly tapering to the petiole, elliptic to broad-elliptic, acute to acuminate
Back to 8 | Kunzea aristulata |
| 10 | Prostrate shrub; leaves 3–6 mm long | Kunzea badjaensis |
| Erect shrub; leaves 4–8 mm long
Back to 9 | Kunzea bracteolata |
| 11 | Leaves 1–3.5 mm long | Kunzea parvifolia |
| Leaves 3–8 mm long
Back to 8 | 12 |
| 12 | Flowers yellow; bracts not much enlarged; placentation axile | Kunzea muelleri |
| Flowers white to cream; bracts large; placentation apical
Back to 11 | Kunzea juniperoides subsp. pernervosa |
| 13 | Erect shrub; hypanthium villous | Kunzea rupestris |
| Prostrate to ascending shrub; hypanthium silky
Back to 6 | Kunzea cambagei |
| 14 | Pedicels ± 2 mm long | 15 |
| Pedicels ± 3 mm long
Back to 5 | Kunzea ericoides |
| 15 | Hypanthia ± 3 mm wide | 16 |
| 15 | Hypanthia ± 2 mm wide | Kunzea axillaris |
| 16 | Young stems rather densely hairy | Kunzea ambigua |
| Young stems glabrous or finely hairy and soon glabrescent
Back to 15 | Kunzea occidentalis |
