Citation: Vent., Jard. Malm. 2:t. 102 (1805).

Derivation: From a Latinisation of the Greek phibalee, a poetic name for the myrtle, to which the type species, P. squamulosum, is superficially similar.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Phebaliums.

Description:
Shrubs or small trees; branchlets glabrous, scaly or pubescent with simple or stellate hairs; leaves alternate, lacking stipules, petiolate or subsessile, simple, glabrous, scaly or pubescent with simple or stellate hairs.

Inflorescence axillary or terminal, a cyme or umbel-like cluster, or flowers solitary; bracteoles small or absent; flowers mostly bisexual, occasionally male only; calyx lobes 5, (rarely to 8) or calyx with a margin entire or undulate; petals 5 (rarely to 8), free (rarely united), glabrous or scaly, white, yellow, pink or red; disk narrow (sometimes forming a gynophore), or absent; stamens 10; filaments free, exserted and spreading, slender, glabrous or lepidote at the base; anthers versatile or basifixed, introrsely and longitudinally dehiscent, apical gland sometimes present; gynoecium 2-8-usually 5-carpellate; carpels free or basally united; ovules 2 per carpel; style inserted about the middle of the adaxial margins of the carpels; stigma minute, capitate or lobed.

Fruit of 1-5 cocci, dehiscing explosively along the apical and adaxial margins; exocarp coriaceous and woody, often apically beaked; endocarp cartilaginous and responsible for seed expulsion, ejected with the seed; seed usually 1 per coccus, reniform, smooth or ornamented; outer testa thin, inner thick, crustaceous.

Distribution:  A predominantly Australian genus of about 45 species; 44 endemic to Australia, 1 endemic in New Zealand; 6 species in S.Aust.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Corolla white to pink; anthers pink
2. Leaf apex truncate or bilobed; carpels 2-4	P. hillebrandii 4.
2. Leaf apex obtuse or rounded; carpels 5	P. brachyphyllum 1.
1. Corolla yellow; anthers yellow
3. Leaf closely revolute, not glandular-warty
4. Calyx truncate to undulate, pedicels slender	P. stenophyllum 6.
4. Calyx definitely 5-toothed, pedicels thick	P. lowanense 5.
3. Leaf not closely revolute, though margin may be recurved, glandular-warty on the margin or the upper surface
5. Leaf upper surface smooth, margin glandular-warty; midrib sunken on the upper surface	P. bullatum 2.
5. Leaf upper surface glandular-warty; midrib not sunken	P. glandulosum 3.

Author: Not yet available