Winteraceae is a primitive family of tropical trees and shrubs including 93 species in five genera. It is of particular interest because it is such a primitive angiosperm family, distantly related to Magnoliaceae, though it has a much more southern distribution. Plants in this family grow mostly in the southern hemisphere, and have been found in tropical to temperate climate regions of Malesia, Oceania, eastern Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar and the Neotropics, with most of the genera concentrated in Australasia and Malesia. The five genera, Takhtajania, Tasmannia, Drimys, Pseudowintera, and Zygogynum s.l. all have distinct geographic extant populations. Takhtajania includes a single species, T. perrieri, endemic only to Madagascar, Tasmannia has the largest distribution of genera in Winteraceae with species across the Philippines, Borneo, New Guinea, Eastern Australia, and Tasmannia, Drimys is found in the Neotropical realm, from southern Mexico to the subarctic forests of southern South America, Pseudowintera is found only in New Zealand, and Zygogynum has species in New Guinea and New Caledonia.
Drimys is a genus of seven species of woody evergreen flowering plants, in the family Winteraceae. The species are native to the Neotropics, ranging from southern Mexico to the southern tip of South America. They are primitive dicots, associated with the humid temperate Antarctic flora of the Southern Hemisphere, which evolved millions of years ago on the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. Members of the family generally have aromatic bark and leaves, and some are used to extract essential oils.
Tasmannia is a genus of about 36 species of flowering plants in the family Winteraceae, and is native to Australia and New Guinea, with one species also found in parts of Southeast Asia. Plants in the genus Tasmannia are shrubs or small trees, usually dioecious with simple leaves, mostly white, sometimes yellow flowers, and one to many clusters of berries.
Tasmannia lanceolata, commonly known as pepper tree, native pepper, mountain pepper or mountain pepperbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Winteraceae, and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a dioecious bushy shrub to small tree with lance-shaped or narrowly ellipic leaves, male and female flowers on separate plants, the flowers with 3 to 9 petals, and the fruit a deep maroon to glossy black berry.
Tasmannia stipitata, commonly known as northern pepperbush is a flowering plant in the family Winteraceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has narrowly lance-shaped to narrowly elliptic leaves and male and female flowers on separate plants, the male flowers with 21 to 65 stamens and the female flowers with 2 to 9 carpels. The fruit is bluish-violet and contains 12 to 15 seeds.
Grevillea sericea, commonly known as the pink spider flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a shrub with elliptic to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and clusters of usually pink flowers arranged on one side of a flowering rachis.
Tasmannia glaucifolia, commonly known as fragrant pepperbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Winteraceae, and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a dioecious shrub with lance-shaped leaves, the narrower end towards the base, the flowers usually without petals, male and female flowers on separate plants and the fruit is a glossy, deep purple-black berry.
Tasmannia insipida, commonly known as brush pepperbush, Dorrigo pepper, pepper bush, pepper tree or faint pepper bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Winteraceae, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with lance-shaped or egg-shaped leaves the narrower end towards the base, the flowers male and female flowers on separate plants, male flowers with 17 to 65 stamens, female flowers with a single carpel with 15-40 ovules, and the fruit a purplish berry.
Tasmannia membranea, commonly known as pepper tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Winteraceae, and is endemic to north-eastern Queensland. It is a shrub or tree with lance-shaped or egg-shaped leaves, male and female flowers on separate plants, with two petals on each flower. The male flowers have 30 to 62 stamens, and the female flowers have a single carpel with 14 to 36 ovules, and the fruit is black.
Eucalyptus umbra, known as the broad-leaved white mahogany, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to northern New South Wales. It has rough, fibrous to stringy bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven to fifteen, white flowers and cup-shaped to hemispherical fruit.
Eucalyptus moorei, commonly known as narrow-leaved sally, is a species of mallee that is endemic to New South Wales. It has smooth bark, linear to narrow lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and fifteen, white flowers and cup-shaped or shortened spherical fruit.
Eucalyptus parvula, commonly known as small-leaved gum, is a species of small tree that is endemic to south-eastern New South Wales. It has mostly smooth bark, elliptical to lance-shaped adult leaves but with many juvenile of intermediate leaves in the crown, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped fruit.
Goodenia paniculata, commonly known as branched goodenia, is a species of plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a short-lived herb with egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves with toothed edges and racemes of yellow flowers.
Epacris rhombifolia commonly known as mountain coral heath, is a plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect, multi-stemmed shrub with broad, rhombic leaves and white flowers with four petals, the flowers spreading down the branches. It only grows in wet, subalpine heath and is sometimes regarded as a variety of Epacris microphylla.
Eucalyptus seeana, or narrow-leaved red gum, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, white flowers and hemispherical fruit.
Grevillea renwickiana is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to south-eastern New South Wales. It is a prostrate, mat-forming shrub with pinnatifid to pinnatipartite leaves and clusters of cream-coloured to pale pink and purplish flowers.
Verticordia ovalifolia, commonly known as oval-leaved featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an openly branched shrub with egg-shaped leaves and strap-like, feathery petals in spring.
Leptospermum rotundifolium, commonly known as round-leaved tea tree, is a species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales, naturalised in Victoria and Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with more or less circular leaves but with a small point on the tip, and relatively large pink or white flowers.
Daviesia purpurascens, commonly known as purple-leaved daviesia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a glabrous shrub with many branchlets, scattered, erect, cylindrical, sharply pointed phyllodes and yellow and maroon flowers.
Drimys angustifolia is a species of flowering plant in family Winteraceae. It is a shrub or small tree native to the mountains of southern Brazil.
