Chorilaena Endl. in S. F. L.Endlicher, E.Fenzl, G.Bentham & H. W.Schott, Enum. Pl. 17 (1837)

Type: Chorilaena quercifolia Endl.

Phebalium sect. Gonioclados Paul G.Wilson, Nuytsia 1(1): 96 (1970). Type: Phebalium anceps DC. [≡ Chorilaena anceps (DC.) Duretto & Heslewood].

Rhadinothamnus Paul G.Wilson, Nuytsia 1(2): 197 (1971). Type: Rhadinothamnus euphemiae (F.Muell.) Paul G.Wilson [≡ Chorilaena euphemiae (F.Muell.) Duretto & Heslewood].

Shrubs with a stellate indumentum, often lepidote. Leaves alternate, simple. Inflorescence axillary or rarely terminal, cymose, few-flowered or flowers solitary, or a 6-flowered umbel; pedicles 2- or 4-bracteate. Flowers 5-merous. Sepals deeply lobed or united into a patelliform or hemispherical calyx; margin undulate and lobed. Petals valvate, free, at first coherent in C. euphemiae, lepidote. Stamens 10, free; filaments flat, bearded on adaxial side towards base, otherwise glabrous; anthers obtuse or oblong, with a non-glandular apiculum. Disc small. Carpels free or fused in lower half, glabrous or lepidote, with or without a short sterile apex. Cocci erect, blunt or shortly rostrate. Seeds narrowly reniform or bluntly ellipsoid; aril linear, fleshy, situated between 2 cartilaginous strands, easily detached; outer testa thin, dark brown; sclerotesta smooth; covered by outer testa, only hilum superficial, narrowly elliptic; raphe shrunken, sub-basal or short and shrivelled.

The description and key provided here is largely derived from Wilson (2013 f) and Armstrong (2013), and to a lesser extent Kubitzki et al. (2011). For species and subspecies descriptions see Armstrong (2013) and Wilson (2013 f).

A genus of four species confined to south-western Australia.

Key to species

1. Leaves not lepidote, margins deeply sinuate................ C. quercifolia Leaves lepidote, margins entire or divergently 2-lobed...................2

2. Corolla cylindrical, the petals adherent by margins, greenishlepidote abaxially; leaves narrowly obcuneate, divergently bilobed....................................................................... C. euphemiae Petals spreading, free, silvery-lepidote abaxially; leaves elliptic or linear to narrowly or broadly obcordate or suborbicular............3

3. Leaves 7–12 cm long, elliptic.............................................. C. anceps Leaves 0.7–3.5 cm long, linear to narrowly or broadly obcordate or suborbicular........................................................................ C. rudis