Colourings on species are variable. The thorax is yellow-black-yellow (although the second band is sometimes lost in females). The abdomen is variable and may be a white to buff-colour.

Black with yellow bands. Body length is between 15 - 22 mm. Has a long face and tongue, allowing it to feed from long-tubed flowers. Tounge is often outstretched as bee approaches flower.

4 - 8 mm long. Black or greenish. Moderately hairy. Often nests along fencelines and stopbanks and ditch sides.

7-9 mm long, slender body. Almost hairless. Black body with small yellow markings on face and thorax. Do not have pollen baskets on legs. Nests in blind tunnels in twigs and branches or holes in logs.

Robust and hairy. Similar to a honeybee, but smaller (5 - 12 mm long). Black body. Often observed carring pollen on back legs. Dig nests in ground. Difference species prefer different soil types, including sand.

Grows up to 2 m. Oval, green leaves up to 20 x 15 cm with a serrated edge. Large flower heads made up of smaller flowers with 5 petals. Flowers may be white, blue, purple, red. Flowers late spring to early winter.

Grows 1 – 6 m tall. Numerous long (up to 3 m) sword shape leaves growing from a central base. Leaves are blue-grey or dark green. Rigid flower stalks can p up to 5 m high. Clumps of curving, tubular flowers 25 – 50 mm long. May be red, or yellow. Produce copious amounts of nectar. Flowers spring - Summer

Grows up to 3 m. Rough-hairy stem. Large flower head (7 - 13 cm wide) containing numerous five-petaled flowers. Outer petals are mostly yellow, but can be red or orange.

Perennial legume grows up to 1 m. Small (11-13 mm long), yellow, pea-like flowers in groups of 12 or more on tip of branches. Flowers Nov – March. Leaves have 5 lobes.

Evergreen, grows up to 20 m. Dark green, thick, serrated leaves. Large flowers (up to 12 cm diameter) with five to nine petals. Flowers may be pink, red, white.