Flowers. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Fruit. Photo: Bill and Mark Bell, Exmouth, WA

Shrub. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Tree. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Leafless Ballart, Leafless Cherry, Stiff Cherry, Jointed Separate Cherry, Currant-bush

Family

Santalaceae

Notes

Shrub or tree to 5m tall.  Branch tips sometimes sharp.  Leaves scale-like, shed early.  Flowers tiny (less than 3mm across), green, with 5 'petals', in dense clusters or spikes 2-4mm long along the stems.  Succulent stalk of the nut pink to red.

Description and photos in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 225

PlantNET description:   http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Exocarpos~aphyllus