Citation: Endl., Stirp. Herb. Huegel. 6 (1838).

Derivation: Greek thryptomene, diminished, made small; alluding to the lowly stature of most of the species.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Thryptomenes.

Description:
Shrubs, slender, erect, glabrous, mostly 0.3-1.5 m high; leaves small, entire, opposite, decussate, dotted with immersed oil glands.

Flowers small, 1-3 in the upper axils; sepals 5, membranous or petaloid, entire; petals 5, white or pink; stamens 5, opposite the sepals; gland on the anther connective small to prominent; ovary inferior, 1-celled, fused to the smooth, ribbed or rugulose hypanthium; placenta basal to subbasal; ovules 2 or 2 plus 2 and superposed.

Distribution:  About 32 species, in southern, central and north-eastern Australia. (Green (1980) Nuytsia 3:183-209.)

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Hypanthium rugulose to finely granular, cup-shaped; sepals triangular, herbaceous-tipped; ovules 4	T. maisonneuvei 6.
1. Hypanthium smooth or 5-10-ribbed, subcylindrical, obconical or urceolate; sepals ovate to orbicular, petaloid; ovules 2
2. Hypanthium subcylindrical, 10-ribbed (at least when dry)
3. Leaves narrow-elliptical; peduncles 2-3 mm long	T. ericaea 4.
3. Leaves broadly obovate-oblong; peduncles c. 1 mm long	T. micrantha 7.
2. Hypanthium obconical to compressed-saccate, smooth or irregularly wrinkled
4. Leaves flat, elliptical, 2-4 mm broad; peduncles to 2.5 mm long; hypanthium often deeply indented above the ovary	T. calycina 2.
4. Leaves thick, not over 1 mm broad; hypanthium not indented
5. Hypanthium oblong in outline, usually compressed and often saccate; leaves obtuse; connective gland exceeding the loculi	T. elliottii 3.
5. Hypanthium obconical to turbinate, becoming enlarged in fruit; leaves usually mucronate near the apex; connective gland as large as the loculi
6. Leaves subcylindrical, 3-4 mm long, mucro prominent	T. longifolia 5.
6. Leaves subglobular to clavate, 2-3 mm long, mucro minute to absent	T. biseriata 1.

Author: Prepared by J. W. Green