Type species: Notelaea longifolia Vent.
Synonyms: Notelea, Postuera, Rhysospermum
Distribution: Australia
Number of species: 13
Description (from Green 1968): Evergreen shrubs or small trees. Leaves opposite, simple, glabrous to velutionus, lamina thickish or coriaceous, entire or crenulate, venation obscure or clearly reticulate. Inflorescences axillary, decussate with terminal flower, from 1-3 superposed buds, bracts broadly ovate to narrowly lanceolate, early deciduous. Flowers hermaphrodite. Calyx 0.3-1.3 mm long with 4 more or less triangular lobes 0.1-1 mm long. Corolla of 4 petals joined in two pairs at the base of the stamens, the pairs free, or only just joined at the base (in N. ligustrina), lobes 1.2-2.5 mm long, broadly ovate, rounded or more or less acute (in L. ligustrina), induplicate-valvate or slightly imbricate in the bud (in L. ligustrina), concave and enclosing the stamens, closely so and raised on a common "stalk" at maturity in N. johnsonii. Stamens 2, anthers 0.8-1.5 mm long (0.3 mm in N. johnsonii and closely invested by the corolla), filaments short 0.1-0.5 mm. Ovary triangular flask-shaped, 0.8-2 mm long without well differentiated style, terminal stigma more or less bilobed 0.1-0.5 mm long. Drupe ellipsoid to more or less globose, 5-20 mm long by 4-16 mm broad; mesocarp soft when ripe and purplish-black, but white, pink or red in some species; endocarp hard, 0.1-0.6 mm thick.
Maintained by Eva Wallander | Last updated: 2010-03-02