Description: Shrubs covered with a rusty tomentum.
Leaves simple, mostly entire, sometimes sinuate or rarely shallowly lobed, glabrous or pubescent above, stellate-tomentose below; petiole usually short; stipules absent.
Flowers bisexual in axillary or leaf-opposed cymes, sometimes condensed into heads or racemes. Bracteoles usually present, 3, generally close to the calyx. Calyx mostly 5-lobed, deeply divided, persistent, but not enlarging markedly in fruit. Petals minute. Stamens 5, alternating with the sepals, free or shortly fused at the base, filaments mostly short; anthers opening by terminal pores; staminodes absent. Ovary mostly 3-locular with 2–many ovules in each loculus, tomentose; style simple, usually glabrous.
Capsule shorter than the calyx.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 30–35 species, endemic Australia. Australia: all States except N.T.
Intermediate forms between species are found in some places; great variation occurs between and within varieties of L. ferrugineum.
Text by G. J. Harden
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Leaves linear to narrow-oblong or narrow-lanceolate to lanceolate, usually >6 times as long as wide; rarely cordate at base; secondary veins usually not prominent on lower surface, except in L. ferrugineum | 2 |
| Leaves ovate to lanceolate, less than 6 times as long as wide; base mostly cordate; secondary veins obvious on lower surface of leaves, except in some Lasiopetalum ferrugineum var. cordatum | 6 |
| 2 | Calyx lobes 8–12 mm long | Lasiopetalum joyceae |
| Calyx lobes 3–8 mm long
Back to 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Calyx lobes glabrous on inner surface, whitish tomentose on outer surface | 8 |
| Calyx lobes distinctly hairy on both surfaces
Back to 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Leaves 2–4 mm wide; secondary veins absent or obscure on lower surface; flowers few in a pedunculate raceme | 5 |
| Leaves 5–12 mm wide; secondary veins prominent below; cymes dense, many-flowered, nearly sessile
Back to 3 | Lasiopetalum ferrugineum |
| 5 | Bracteoles more than 2 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide | Lasiopetalum rufum |
| Bracteoles 1–1.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide
Back to 4 | Lasiopetalum baueri |
| 6 | Flowers not crowded and spike-like; stamens half as long as calyx, filaments mostly shorter than anthers | 7 |
| Flowers crowded in 2 one-sided rows on spike-like branches; stamens as long as calyx, filaments at least 3 times as long as anthers
Back to 1 | Lasiopetalum longistamineum |
| 7 | Calyx segments hairy on both surfaces | Lasiopetalum ferrugineum |
| Calyx segments glabrous on inner surface, rusty-tomentose on outer surface
Back to 6 | Lasiopetalum macrophyllum |
| 8 | Calyx lobes c. 3 mm long; widespread on the coast and adjacent ranges. | Lasiopetalum parviflorum |
| Calyx lobes 3–8 mm long; confined to mallee area in western N.S.W
Back to 3 | Lasiopetalum behrii |
|
