Erect shrub or small tree to c. 5 m high; bark lamellose-flaky; young branches moderately to densely hairy. Leaves alternate or subopposite, linear to narrowly oblong or linear-spathulate, 2–8 cm long, 1–6 mm wide, more or less flat, mucronate, bright green, smooth, sparsely to moderately hairy when young, glabrescent when mature. Flowers solitary, in axils of leaves or scale-leaves; pedicels 2–8 mm long, suberect or spreading, moderately to densely hairy. Tepals 11–14 mm long, apiculate or shortly caudate, sparsely to densely hairy, terminal spine to c. 1 mm long; anthers yellow; ovary glabrous. Drupe globose, to c. 12 mm long and wide, green with purplish stripes. Flowers Dec.–May.
GipP, GGr, EGL, EGU, HSF, HNF, HFE. Also Qld, NSW, ACT (Jervis Bay). Locally common in near-coastal heathlands, heathy woodlands and lowland forests of East Gippsland.
Hybrids with P. levis occur occasionally where the two species are sympatric. These plants are referable to P. ×lucida.
Source:
Jeanes, J.A. (1996). Proteaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae, pp. 830–887. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
