Female flower, young fruit, and stems. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Male flowers and stems. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Fruit and stems. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Shrub. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Slender Lignum, Weeping Lignum, Twiggy Lignum

Family

Polygonaceae

Notes

Shrub to 1m tall.  Leaves with a sheath at the base, alternating up the stems, often shed early, 0.5-8cm long, 1-2mm wide, linear to flat, or triangular in cross-section, hairless, edges flat or curved upwards, pointed.  Male and female flowers usually on separate plants.  Flowers yellowish green to cream, with 5 'petals' divided for about three quarters of their lengths or to the base, in clusters of 1-4 flowers at the bases of the leaves.  Fruit yellow, translucent.  Germinates after fire.

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 230

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Muehlenbeckia~diclina