Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Omphacomeria acerba

Stems with male flowers. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Nadgigomar Nature Reserve, north of Braidwood

Stems with female flowers. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer D Kelly, Aranda, Canberra, ACT

Stems and fruit. Photographer Jackie Miles

Shrub. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer D Kelly, Aranda, Canberra, ACT

Common name

Leafless sourbush, Sourbush

Family

Santalaceae

Where found

Forest and woodland, often in rocky soil. Widespread.

Notes

Shrub to about 1.3 m high, rhizomatous, hairless. Branchlets cylindrical, grooved, often resinous. Leaves alternating up the stems, 0.05-0.1 cm long, scale-like, falling early, the bases persisting as scars. Male and female flowers on different plants. Flowers yellow to yellowish green, 1–3 mm in diameter, with 4-5 'petals'. Male flowers in clusters of up to 7 flowers. Female flowers usually single, rarely 2–4 together. Fruit greyish green to purplish, fleshy to dry, sour but edible. Flowers mostly Aug.–Dec.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Omphacomeria~acerba (accessed 29 January, 2021)