Tall shrub or small tree 3–12 m high; branches glabrous or puberulous when young. Leaves narrow-lanceolate, 2–8.5 cm long, 4–25 mm wide, c. obtuse, margins entire, discolorous, glabrous, venation obscure; petiole 2–12 mm long, often purplish. Racemes mostly 1.5–4 cm long, 1–3 per axil, mostly 7–13-flowered; pedicels 2–7 mm long. Calyx 0.5–1.5 mm long, with prominent c. triangular teeth; petals 1–1.5 mm long, imbricate in bud, yellow-green. Drupe subglobose, 6–10 mm diam., white, pink or purplish-black. Flowers summer and autumn.
VVP, VRiv, GipP, OtP, WaP, CVU, GGr, DunT, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, HFE, VAlp. Also NSW, Tas. A widespread component of montane forests of eastern Victoria, with isolated western records for the Otway Range and the Grampians.
Some modern authors include Notelaea ligustrina in the genus Nestegis on the basis of its more or less free petals that are imbricate in bud, and the obscure leaf venation.
Source:
Jeanes, J.A. (1999). Oleaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae, pp. 477–483. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
