Description: Shrubs or small trees, axillary buds often in a row of 2–4, conical or rounded.
Leaves opposite, simple, margins entire or finely crenate, glabrous to velvety, leathery to stiff, venation obscure or clearly reticulate.
Inflorescences axillary racemes, sometimes reduced to sessile clusters. Flowers bisexual, yellowish. Calyx small, 4-lobed. Corolla of 4 petals, joined in two pairs at the base of the stamens, the pairs free, broad-ovate, induplicate-valvate, concave and enclosing the stamens, closely so and raised on a common 'stalk' at maturity in N. johnsonii. Stamens 2, each enclosed in the concave pair of petals. Ovary 2-locular with 2 ovules per loculus; style short; stigma 2-lobed.
Fruit drupaceous; seed solitary.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 9 species, endemic Australia. Australia: Qld, N.S.W., Vic., Tas.
Intermediates occasionally occur between the species.
Text by D. W. Hardin
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Notelaea ligustrina
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Venation of leaves distinct often more or less reticulate above | 2 |
| Venation of leaves obscure on upper surface (except for the midvein) | 8 |
| 2 | Leaves with venation on lower surface raised and clear, usually as prominent or almost as prominent as upper surface (sometimes less prominently so in Notelaea longifolia) | 3 |
| Leaves with venation on lower surface more obscure than upper surface unless masked by a velvety indumentum
Back to 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Secondary veins showing progressive diminution in size, coarsely reticulate, merging with the marginal thickening to the lamina; fruit broad-ovoid to more or less globose, only a little longer than broad | 4 |
| Secondary veins all more or less evenly finely and prominently reticulate, not clearly merging with the marginal thickening to the lamina; fruit ellipsoid to ovoid, distinctly longer than broad
Back to 2 | 5 |
| 4 | Leaves narrow-ovate to narrow-lanceolate, base acute or obtuse, acuminate into petiole; bark greyish, finely fissured; shrub or small tree to 7 m high | Notelaea longifolia |
| Leaves broad-ovate or ovate, occasionally narrow-ovate or rarely lanceolate or elliptic, base rounded; bark greyish, flaky; multistemmed shrub, rarely more than 1.5 m high
Back to 3 | Notelaea ovata |
| 5 | Leaves with base cuneate or broad cuneate, tapering into petiole; axillary buds rounded, glabrous or rarely with hairs | Notelaea venosa |
| Leaves with base round or subcordate; axillary buds pointed, glabrous
Back to 3 | Notelaea sp. A sensu Harden (1992) |
| 6 | Leaves narrow-lanceolate to linear, 3–15 mm wide; petals greenish yellow, yellow or cream; fruit 10–15 mm long | 7 |
| Leaves lanceolate to elliptic 15–50 mm wide; petals bluish black; fruit 18–20 mm long
Back to 2 | Notelaea johnsonii |
| 7 | Leaves with venation of upper surface more or less clear and raised; secondary veins 5–7 pairs; fruit 7–10 mm long | Notelaea microcarpa |
| Leaves with venation of upper surface more or less obscure except slightly raised secondary veins; secondary veins 7–10 pairs; fruit 5–6 mm long
Back to 6 | Notelaea neglecta |
| 8 | Leaves linear to narrow-lanceolate, more than 7 times as long as broad | 9 |
| Leaves elliptic to narrow elliptic, less than 7 times as long as broad
Back to 1 | Notelaea johnsonii |
| 9 | Leaves 2–5 mm wide, venation completely obscure; inflorescences 4–10 mm long, c. 5-flowered | Notelaea linearis |
| Leaves 3–8 mm wide, venation obscurely visible; inflorescence 10–20 mm long, 7–9-flowered
Back to 8 | Notelaea neglecta |
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