Subfamily Styphelioideae
Synonyms: Epacridaceae APNI*
Description: Shrubs or rarely small trees.
Leaves alternate or rarely in pseudowhorls, xeromorphic, often pungent, margins entire or finely toothed, usually with several ± longitudinal veins, or rarely reticulate; sessile or petiolate, stipules absent.
Inflorescence a spike, sometimes a raceme or panicle, or flowers solitary; 1 or more imbricate bracts and bracteoles subtend each flower. Flowers mostly small, actinomorphic, 4- or 5-merous, usually bisexual or sometimes unisexual and then plants polygamous. Sepals 4 or 5, free, imbricate, persistent. Corolla usually tubular with 4 or 5 erect or spreading lobes, sometimes the whole corolla fused into a cap or separated into ± distinct petals. Stamens 4 or 5, rarely fewer, alternating with corolla lobes, hypogynous and free or fused to the corolla tube; anthers 2-locular, versatile or rarely fused to filaments, included or partly or fully exserted from the corolla tube, dehiscing by a longitudinal slit. Nectary annular or in scales at base of ovary. Ovary superior, 1–10-locular, with 1–several ovules per loculus; placentation axile or apical; style simple.
Fruit a drupe or loculicidal capsule.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 32 genera, c. 424 species, Australia, Malesia, Indo-China, Pacific Islands and South America. Australia: 29 genera, c. 355 species, all States.
Text by J. M. Powell
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Acrothamnus,
Agiortia
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Leaves with only 1 main longitudinal vein | 2 |
| Leaves with 3–7 main longitudinal veins | 3 |
| 2 | Leaves alternate, broad, more than 20 mm long; flowers 5-merous | Gaultheria |
| Leaves whorled, linear, less than 10 mm long; flowers 4-merous
Back to 1 | Erica |
| 3 | Stems with annular leaf scars | 4 |
| Stems without annular leaf scars
Back to 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Corolla ovoid or conical, forming a 'cap' that splits near the base and is shed as the anthers expand, lobes not opening | Richea |
| Corolla with broad cylindrical or campanulate tube, the lobes spreading or recurved
Back to 3 | Dracophyllum |
| 5 | Leaves sheathing | Sprengelia |
| Leaves not sheathing
Back to 3 | 6 |
| 6 | Style inserted in depression at apex of ovary; fruit a loculicidal capsule | 7 |
| Style attenuate from the ovary, fruit a drupe or sometimes the endocarp separating into pyrenes
Back to 5 | 10 |
| 7 | Corolla lobes contorted in bud | Woollsia |
| Corolla lobes imbricate but not contorted in bud
Back to 6 | 8 |
| 8 | Filaments inserted in throat; anthers erect or spreading, dehiscing longitudinally | 9 |
| Filaments inserted at base of corolla tube; anthers converging around the style, dehiscing by apical slit
Back to 7 | Rupicola |
| 9 | Filaments shorter than anthers; anthers versatile, attached to filament about the middle | Epacris |
| Filaments longer than anthers; anthers fused to upper part of filament
Back to 8 | Budawangia |
| 10 | Corolla lobes valvate in bud | 11 |
| Corolla lobes basally or apically imbricate in bud
Back to 6 | 18 |
| 11 | Anthers on long filaments, well exserted from the tube; corolla lobes revolute | Styphelia |
| Anthers on short filaments, just exserted or partly or wholly enclosed in tube; lobes erect to spreading
Back to 10 | 12 |
| 12 | Corolla tube with hairs or scales inside below the middle | 13 |
| Corolla tube glabrous below the middle
Back to 11 | 14 |
| 13 | Corolla tube short and broad; lobes spreading; 5 glandular scales present near base of tube | Melichrus |
| Corolla tube elongated, cylindrical; lobes erect at base, spreading above; 5 tufts of hairs or ciliate scales inside, sometimes confluent in a ring, rarely glabrous
Back to 12 | Astroloma |
| 14 | Flowers pedicellate, the subtending bract and bracteoles inserted some distance from the calyx | Lissanthe |
| Flowers sessile, the subtending bracts and bracteoles inserted immediately below the calyx
Back to 12 | 15 |
| 15 | Drupaceous fruit with endocarp not separating into pyrenes | 16 |
| Drupaceous fruit with endocarp separating into pyrenes
Back to 14 | Pentachondra |
| 16 | Corolla lobes glabrous or sometimes papillose | Monotoca |
| Corolla lobes hairy
Back to 15 | 17 |
| 17 | Corolla lobes with erect tuft of hairs near apex, fine hairs at throat; flowers yellow-green or green | Acrotriche |
| Corolla lobes sparsely to densely bearded; flowers white, cream or red
Back to 16 | Leucopogon |
| 18 | Corolla lobes basally imbricate; drupaceous fruit with endocarp not separating into pyrenes | Brachyloma |
| Corolla lobes apically imbricate; drupaceous fruit with endocarp separating into pyreness
Back to 10 | Trochocarpa |
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