About Exocarpos aphyllus R.Br.
Exocarpos aphyllus is a perennial small tree or shrub that can reach up to 5 m (16 ft) in height. It is much-branched, with a grey-greenish color, rigid, terete branchlets. Its leaves are alternate, scale-like, ovate, and hairy; they are initially covered in star-shaped hairs, become smooth with age, and measure about 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The flowers are very small, yellowish green, sessile, and grow in dense clusters or spikes that are 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long, containing 2 to 10 flowers each, located in upper leaf axils. Flowering occurs mostly from June to September. The fruit is an ovoid drupe, 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long, more or less ribbed; it is bright red when young and turns almost black as it ages. This species, commonly known as leafless ballart, grows in a variety of habitats including woodland, and on rocky and clay loam, across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. Noongar people, Indigenous Australians from south-west Western Australia, boiled the stems of this plant in water to create decoctions. These decoctions were used internally to treat colds, and externally to treat sores. The prepared mixture was also made into poultices that were applied to the chest to treat "wasting diseases".
