Description: Small trees or low shrubs, rigid, much-branched, suppressed lateral branchlets often spinose.
Leaves alternate or clustered, linear to cuneate or obovate, margins entire or emarginate or rarely toothed.
Flowers small, solitary or clustered in racemose or paniculate terminal or axillary inflorescences; pedicellate. Sepals free, caducous or persistent. Petals narrow-oblong, white, spreading from base. Stamens free, filaments ovoid. Ovary shortly stipitate.
Capsule flattened, thin-walled/crustaceous, broad-orbicular or obcordate or reniform, dehiscing loculicidally around the edges; seeds few to numerous, not winged, ± reniform, flat.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 6 species, endemic Australia. Australia: all States except N.T.
Text by R. O. Makinson. Key updated by K.L. Gibbons 9 Dec. 2020, modified from existing key from Telford, Edwards And Copeland (2013) Telopea 15: 81-85.
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Small tree or large shrub, 5–10 m high | Bursaria spinosa |
| Erect, sprawling, or multistemmed shrub, usually less than 5 m high | 2 |
| 2 | Adult leaves 16–43 mm long, 5–12 mm wide; sepals < 2 mm long, caducous | Bursaria spinosa |
| Adult leaves 5–19 mm long, up to 4 mm wide; sepals > 2 mm long, persistent
Back to 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Young branchlets densely covered with persistent, appressed hairs; occurs on limestone-derived soils; restricted to Wombeyan Caves area | Bursaria calcicola |
| Young branchlets usually with spreading hairs; occurs on sandstone-derived soils
Back to 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Sepals 3.5–6 mm long; capsules 5–6 mm long; restricted to Blue Mountains area | Bursaria longisepala |
| Sepals 2.4–3.6 mm long; capsules 6–10 mm long; restricted to Grafton-Coffs Harbour area
Back to 3 | Bursaria cayzerae |
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