Eremophila foliosissima

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Eremophila foliosissima
Eremophila foliosissima (leaves and flowers).jpg
E. foliosissima foliage and flowers
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Eremophila
Species:
E. foliosissima
Binomial name
Eremophila foliosissima

Eremophila foliosissima, commonly known as poverty bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small, erect, densely foliaged shrub with long, narrow, hairy leaves and mauve to purple flowers. It is similar to Eremophila gilesii but is more dense and rounded, has more crowded leaves and has different hairs on the flowers.

Contents

Description

Eremophila foliosissima is an erect, rounded, densely foliaged shrub usually growing to no more than 0.5 m (2 ft) tall with stems and leaves covered with short, stiff, curved white hairs. Older leaves usually hang down the stem, forming a thick mat over its surface. The leaves are crowded along the stems, linear in shape with a deep groove on the lower surface, mostly 40–88 mm (2–3 in) long, 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) wide, usually shiny and sticky when young. [2] [3]

The flowers are usually borne singly in leaf axils on a hairy stalk, 4–13 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long. The 5 sepals are linear to narrow triangular in shape, hairy, especially on the outer surface and mostly 5–13.5 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long. The petals are mostly 20–40 mm (0.8–2 in) long and joined at their lower end to form a tube. The outside of the petal tube and the lobes on its end are light purple to lilac-coloured and the inside of the tube is white. The outside of the petal tube and the lobes are covered with glandular hairs, the inside of the lobes are glabrous and the inside of the tube is filled with long, soft hairs. The 4 stamens are fully enclosed in the petal tube. Flowering occurs from July to September and is followed by fruits which are oval shaped to almost spherical and 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) in diameter with a pale yellow, papery covering. [2] [3]

E. foliosissima growing near the middle branch of the Gascoyne River Eremophila foliosissima (habit).jpg
E. foliosissima growing near the middle branch of the Gascoyne River

Taxonomy and naming

Eremophila foliosissima was first formally described in 1925 by Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Kraenzlin and the description was published in Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information . [4] [5] The specific epithet (foliosissima) is a Latin word meaning "leafiest". [2]

Distribution and habitat

This eremophila is widespread in and between the Shire of Murchison and Warburton [3] in the Central Ranges, Gascoyne, Great Victoria Desert and Murchison biogeographic regions. [6] [7] It grows in sand, clay or loam, often in mulga woodland. [2]

Conservation status

Eremophila foliosissima is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. [6]

Use in horticulture

Poverty bush has long, narrow greyish and slightly hairy leaves and large blue to purple flowers making it an attractive and contrasting garden plant. It is difficult to propagate from seed, cuttings or by grafting onto Myoporum species but the last of this methods is the most reliable and is best done from late summer to early autumn. The grafted forms will grow in any soil and all will grow in full sun or partial shade and will tolerate long droughts. It is damaged by severe frosts and in humid areas like Sydney needs to be grown in an area with air movement. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eremophila abietina</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila abietina, also known as spotted poverty bush, is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a few arid areas of Western Australia. It is a stiff, upright, compact and very sticky shrub with distinctive, dark bluish-green leaves and pale coloured flowers spotted purple.

<i>Eremophila cuneifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila cuneifolia, commonly known as pinyuru, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the north-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading, sticky shrub with wedge-shaped leaves, coloured sepals and usually deep purple flowers.

<i>Eremophila mackinlayi</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila mackinlayi, commonly known as desert pride, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub with its branches and leaves covered with a thick layer of yellow to grey hairs, mostly egg-shaped leaves and deep lilac-coloured to purple flowers. It is most closely related to E. strongylophylla and E. hygrophana and sometimes occurs in the same areas as these species.

<i>Eremophila citrina</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila citrina is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the centre of Western Australia. It is a dense, rounded shrub with yellow new growth, crowded leaves and lilac-coloured to light purple flowers.

Eremophila compacta, commonly known as compact poverty bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the central west of Western Australia. There are two distinct subspecies differing in their growth habit but both have grey leaves due to a covering of white or grey hairs, and purple to blue, rarely white flowers.

Eremophila fasciata, commonly known as spaghetti eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of Western Australia. It is a densely-foliaged shrub with grey, felty leaves and blue to violet-coloured flowers clustered at the tips of its branches.

<i>Eremophila flabellata</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila flabellata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with serrated leaves, broad serrated sepals and pink, purple or mauve flowers.

<i>Eremophila glandulifera</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila glandulifera is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with hairy, grey foliage and attractive deep pink to red flowers usually growing in mulga woodland.

<i>Eremophila malacoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila malacoides, commonly known as frontage poverty bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub with grey-green foliage, densely hairy leaves, and usually lilac to purple flowers but a yellow flowered form also occurs.

<i>Eremophila pantonii</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila pantonii, commonly known as broombush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a broom-shaped shrub with narrow leaves which have a hooked tip, and blue or purple, sometimes white flowers in winter and spring.

Eremophila prolata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with a rounded top, prominently ridged, hairy branches, narrow leaves and white to deep lilac-coloured flowers.

<i>Eremophila punctata</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila punctata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with sticky young branches and leaves due to the presence of resin. Its small leaves usually have a few blunt teeth near their ends and flowers which are usually lilac-coloured. It is a distinctive and widespread species.

Eremophila pungens is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is an erect, sticky shrub with broad, serrated-edged leaves which end in a sharp spine and purple or violet flowers.

<i>Eremophila punicea</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila punicea, commonly known as crimson eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a small, bushy shrub with small grey leaves, hairy branches and attractive pink flowers growing in areas east of Geraldton.

Eremophila retropila is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, spreading shrub with hairy, greyish leaves crowded at the ends of the branches, and lilac or violet-coloured flowers which are white inside.

<i>Eremophila rhegos</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila rhegos is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with densely hairy leaves and branches and blue, mauve, purple or white flowers.

Eremophila shonae is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub or a low spreading shrub, depending on subspecies and has very sticky branches and leaves due to the presence of large amounts of resin. The leaves are narrow and the flowers are mauve to purple and white inside with purple spots.

<i>Eremophila spectabilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila spectabilis, commonly known as showy poverty bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a dense, erect shrub with narrow, greyish leaves and blue, mauve or purple flowers.

Eremophila verrucosa is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is an erect, broom-shaped shrub with its leaves and branches covered with yellow-grey scales and lilac to purple flowers.

<i>Eremophila warnesii</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila warnesii is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, compact shrub with furry leaves, hairy sepals and blue to mauve petals. It is a little-known species, named after the founder of the Eremophila Study Group.

References

  1. ↑ "Eremophila foliosissima". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Chinnock, R.J. (Bob) (2007). Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae (1st ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. pp. 320–322. ISBN   9781877058165.
  3. 1 2 3 Brown, Andrew; Buirchell, Bevan (2011). A field guide to the eremophilas of Western Australia (1st ed.). Hamilton Hill, W.A.: Simon Nevill Publications. pp. 101–102. ISBN   9780980348156.
  4. ↑ "Eremophila foliosissima". APNI. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Kraenzlin, Friedrich (1925). "Decades Kewenses. Plantarum Novarum in Herbario Horti Regii Conservatorum. Decas CXI". Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information. 6: 281–282. JSTOR   4107472.
  6. 1 2 "Eremophila foliosissima". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  7. ↑ Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue . Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 335. ISBN   0646402439.
  8. ↑ Boschen, Norma; Goods, Maree; Wait, Russell (2008). Australia's eremophilas : changing gardens for a changing climate. Melbourne: Bloomings Books. pp. 202–203. ISBN   9781876473655.
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