Woolly Rice-flower

Pimelea octophylla is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.4–1 m (1 ft 4 in – 3 ft 3 in) and has densely hairy young stems. Its leaves are mostly arranged alternately along the branches, narrowly elliptic, 3–18 mm (0.12–0.71 in) long and 1–6 mm (0.039–0.236 in) wide on a short petiole. The flowers are arranged on the ends of branches in compact, usually pendulous clusters of 25 to 45, sometimes up to 150, with 6 to 12 leaf-like involucral bracts 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) long at the base. The flowers are cream-coloured to pale yellow, either bisexual or female, and densely hairy except at the extreme base. The floral tube is 11–14 mm (0.43–0.55 in) long, the sepals 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long and the stamens are shorter than the sepals. Flowering mainly occurs from August to February.

Woolly riceflower grows in sandy soil, usually over rock and is found between the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria and is locally common in western Victoria.

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