Common name: Slender Rice Flower
Pimelea linifolia Sm. APNI* 
Description: Variable shrub, prostrate to 1.5 m high, stems glabrous.
Leaves mostly narrow-elliptic to oblanceolate, 5–30 mm long, 2–7 mm wide.
Flowers in bracteate heads, terminal; peduncles mostly 1–40 mm long, glabrous. Bracts 4, sometimes 8. Flowers bisexual or female, 7–60 per head, white or occasionally pink, mostly 10–20 mm long, female flowers shorter.
Fruit 3–5 mm long, green, enclosed in the hypanthium base.
Distribution and occurrence: Toxic to stock. Widespread.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP
Text by G. J. Harden
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the subspecies | |
| 1 | Leaves and bracts without obvious intramarginal veins; flowers hairy but not usually silky | 2 |
| Leaves and bracts with obviously raised intramarginal veins, prominent at least on lower surface of leaves; flowers usually silky. Shrub to 1 m high. Leaves narrow-elliptic, 4–25 mm long, 1–4 mm wide. Bracts narrow-ovate to ± ovate, 4–15 mm long. Leaves and bracts often drying greenish blue. Flowers 9–50 in each head | subsp. collina |
| 2 | Leaves green; flowers often >20 in each head | 3 |
| Leaves glaucous, bluish; heads with usually <20 flowers. Prostrate or clump-forming shrub to 50 cm high. Leaves narrow-elliptic, 5–10 mm long, mostly 3–4 mm wide. Bracts ± oblanceolate to ovate, 7–15 mm long, acute to obtuse, bluish. Heads 7–21-flowered, each flower 16–19 mm long, hairy and with longer but less dense hairs on persistent base
Back to 1 | subsp. caesia |
| 3 | Erect, prostrate or occasionally clump-forming shrub to 1.5 m high; common in a wide variety of situations. Leaves oblanceolate or narrow-elliptic, mostly 5–30 mm long, usually 1–4 mm wide, rarely to 7 mm. Bracts ± ovate, 4–19 mm long, 3–10 mm wide, often with a reddish tinge. Flowers 7–44 per head, 10–20 mm long, shortly hairy with longer hairs on persistent base | subsp. linifolia |
| Luxuriant shrub to 2.5 m high; often growing in exposed conditions in the Blue Mtns. Leaves narrow-oblong or narrow-elliptic, mostly 10–35 mm long, 3–6 mm wide, often with a reddish tinge. Bracts ± ovate, sometimes narrower, mostly 10–16 mm long, 5–9 mm wide, often tinged with red. Flowers 28–60 per head, 14–20 mm long, rachis occasionally elongating in fruit
Back to 2 | subsp. linoides |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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