Eremaea violacea

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Eremaea violacea
Eremaea violacea (leaves, flowers).JPG
Eremaea violacea growing in Lesueur National Park
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eremaea
Species:
E. violacea
Binomial name
Eremaea violacea
Synonyms

Melaleuca kybeliona Craven & R.D.Edwards

Eremaea violacea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is low, spreading shrub with narrow, prickly leaves and which bears violet-coloured flowers on short side branches.

Contents

Description

Eremaea violacea is a spreading to prostrate shrub which grows to a height of about 1.0 metre (3 ft) and which has its younger branches densely covered with fine hairs. The leaves are linear to narrow egg-shaped, 7–12 millimetres (0.3–0.5 in) long, 0.4–1.2 millimetres (0.02–0.05 in) wide, flat or circular in cross section, depending on subspecies. (The two subspecies can be distinguished from each other by their cross section.) [1]

As suggested by its name, the flowers are violet coloured and are on the ends of short side branches off longer ones which grew earlier in the previous year. The flowers occur in groups of up to 7. There are 5 sepals which are usually hairy on the outside surface and 5 petals 2.3–4.5 millimetres (0.09–0.2 in) long. The stamens are arranged in 5 bundles, each containing 24 to 32 stamens. Flowering occurs from September to October and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules. The capsules are 5–8 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) long, 6–7.5 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) wide, cup shaped to almost spherical and are smooth on the outer surface. [1]

Eremaea violacea habit Eremaea violacea (habit).JPG
Eremaea violacea habit

Taxonomy and naming

Eremaea violacea was first formally described in 1878 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. [2] [3] The specific epithet (violacea) is from the Latin violaceus meaning "having a purple colour". [4]

There are two subspecies:

Distribution and habitat

Eremaea violacea is found in the Irwin district [1] in the Geraldton Sandplains and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions. [7] It grows in sand, sandy clay or soils derived from laterite on sandplains, ridges and roadsides. [8]

Conservation

Both subspecies of Eremaea violacea are classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eremaea</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Eremaea is a genus of woody shrubs and small trees in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. Little study of the genus as a whole had been undertaken until Roger Hnatiuk researched Eremaea and published a paper in 1993, A revision of the genus Eremaea (Myrtaceae) in Nuytsia. The first species to be described was Eremaea pauciflora in 1837 and by 1964, the number of species known had increased to 12. Hnatiuk recognised 16 species, 5 subspecies and a number of varieties.

<i>Verticordia spicata</i>

Verticordia spicata, commonly known as spiked featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually a dense, bushy shrub with small leaves pressed against the stem and spikes of pink flowers from late spring to early summer.

<i>Calothamnus chrysanthereus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus chrysanthereus , commonly known as claw flower is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with needle-shaped leaves crowded on the ends of the branches and bright red flowers in spring.

<i>Calothamnus gilesii</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus gilesii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, usually compact shrub with fine, pine-like foliage and which produces cluster of red flowers from June to January.

<i>Eremaea fimbriata</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea fimbriata is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with small leaves and single purple flowers on the ends of the branches. The fruits are woody, urn-shaped with a small opening at the top. Unlike other eremaeas which remain dormant during winter, Eremaea fimbriata begins the new year's growth in July or August.

<i>Melaleuca bisulcata</i>

Melaleuca bisulcata is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the a relatively small area on the west coast of Western Australia. It is difficult to distinguish this species from Melaleuca psammophila except on differences in the shape of the calyx lobes.

<i>Calothamnus longissimus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus longissimus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with unusually long, fine leaves and which produces clusters of red flowers in spring.

Calothamnus oldfieldii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with needle-shaped leaves and clusters of red flowers with 5 petals and 5 stamen bundles.

<i>Eremaea acutifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea acutifolia, commonly known as rusty eremaea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with needle-like leaves and which bears orange-coloured flowers on short side branches and fruits with a surface that is rough to the touch.

<i>Eremaea asterocarpa</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea asterocarpa is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with broad, flat leaves, and orange-coloured flowers in late winter or spring. Single flowers appear on the ends of branches formed the previous year.

Eremaea atala is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with small, soft, non-prickly leaves, and purple flowers in late spring or summer. Flowers appear in groups of up to five usually on the ends of branches formed in the same year's growth.

<i>Eremaea beaufortioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea beaufortioides is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with oval to egg-shaped leaves, and orange flowers in spring. Flowers appear in groups of one to six on the ends of long branches formed in the previous year.

<i>Eremaea brevifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea brevifolia is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, compact to spreading shrub with small, crowded leaves and orange-coloured flowers in early spring, followed by fruits with a rough outer surface.

Eremaea × codonocarpa is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is thought to be a stabilised hybrid between two subspecies of Eremaea. It is a small shrub with triangular leaves and flowers a shade of pink to purple on the ends of the branches.

Eremaea dendroidea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small tree with small leaves and orange-coloured flowers on the ends of the branches in September. It has the most northerly distribution of all the eremaeas.

<i>Eremaea ebracteata</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea ebracteata is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrow, mostly linear leaves and which bears orange-coloured flowers on the long branches of the same season's growth. The fruits have a surface that is rough and lumpy.

<i>Eremaea ectadioclada</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea ectadioclada is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with small leaves, and orange-coloured flowers on the ends of the long branches which grew in the previous year.

Eremaea × phoenicea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is thought to be a stabilised hybrid between two subspecies of Eremaea. It is an erect to spreading shrub with pointed, elliptic leaves and small groups of flowers, a shade of pink to red, on the ends of the branches.

<i>Phymatocarpus maxwellii</i>

Phymatocarpus maxwellii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It resembles many small species of Melaleuca, mainly differing in the way its anthers are attached at the top of the stamens. In Phymatocarpus they are attached at their base and open at the other end through two slits. It is a shrub with many small heads of pink to purple flowers, often covering the plant for several weeks in October.

<i>Phymatocarpus porphyrocephalus</i>

Phymatocarpus porphyrocephalus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It resembles many small species of Melaleuca, mainly differing in the way its anthers are attached at the top of the stamens. In Phymatocarpus they are attached at their base and open at the other end through two slits. It is a shrub with many small heads of pink to purple flowers fading to white, often covering the plant for several weeks in spring.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hnatiuk, Roger J. (1998). "A revision of the genus Eremaea (Myrtaceae)". Nuytsia. 9 (2): 162–167. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  2. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1878). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae (Volume 11). Melbourne. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  3. "Eremaea violacea". APNI. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  4. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 153.
  5. "Eremaea violacea subsp. violacea". FloraBase. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  6. "Eremaea violacea subsp. raphiophylla". FloraBase. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Eremaea violacea". FloraBase. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  8. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 363. ISBN   0646402439.