Eremophila gibbifolia

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Coccid emu-bush
Eremophila gibbifolia.jpg
Eremophila gibbifolia in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Eremophila
Species:
E. gibbifolia
Binomial name
Eremophila gibbifolia
(F.Muell.) F.Muell. [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Bondtia gibbosifolia Kuntze orth. var.
  • Bontia gibbifoliaKuntze nom. inval., nom. nud.
  • Duttonia gibbifoliaF.Muell.
  • Duttonia gibbifoliaF.Muell. isonym
  • Eremophila gibbosifoliaF.Muell. orth. var.
  • Pholidia gibbifolia(F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Benth.

Eremophila gibbifolia, commonly known as coccid emu-bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a small, rare shrub in the wild, found only in Victoria and South Australia. It has small, fleshy, lumpy leaves and lilac-coloured to purple flowers, spotted inside.

Contents

Description

Eremophila gibbifolia is a shrub usually growing to a height of less than 0.9 m (3 ft) with many interlacing, hairy green branches. The leaves are arranged alternately, mostly 1.5–5 mm (0.06–0.2 in) long, 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) wide, thicky, fleshy, glabrous and oblong to heart-shaped. The leaves are more or less pressed against the stem with one or two pairs of large warty outgrowths and edges that are uneven due to large numbers of smaller raised lumps. [2] [3]

The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a stalk less than 1.5 mm (0.06 in) long. There are 5 narrow, tapering, green sepals which are 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long. The petals are 7–10.5 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and joined at their lower end to form a tube. The tube is a shade of lilac to purple with the inside of the petal lobes lilac while the inside of the tube is white spotted with mauve or brown. The outside of the petal tube and lobes are glabrous except for the inside surface of the lower lobe which has long hairs along its centre line and the inside of the tube which is filled with long hairs. Two stamens are enclosed in the petal tube while the other 2 extend slightly beyond its end. The fruits are more or less cylindrical in shape, slightly flattened and 2–3.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long. [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described in 1855 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Transactions and Proceedings of the Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science. He gave it the name Duttonia gibbifolia. [4] [5] In 1859 he transferred the species into the genus Eremophila because the name Duttonia was already in use for a genus of plants in the daisy family Asteraceae, now the genus Syncarpha . [6] The specific epithet (gibbifolia) is derived from the Latin words gibbus meaning "humpbacked", "humped", "crooked" or "bent" [7] : 139  and folium meaning "a leaf", [7] : 466  referring to the hump-like swellings on the leaves. [2] The common name, coccid emu bush, is derived from the Ancient Greek κόκκος (kókkos) meaning "grain" or "seed". [7] : 40 

Distribution and habitat

E. gibbifolia occurs in a few parts of the Eyre Peninsula, Southern Lofty, South East and Murray botanical regions in South Australia. [3] It also occurs in western areas of Victoria. In both states it grows in powdery clay or sandy loam in mallee scrub. [2] [8]

Conservation status

The species is listed as "rare" in both South Australia [9] and Victoria. [10] [11]

Use in horticulture

The tiny, wart-like leaves of this eremophila are an unusual and attractive feature of this small shrub. It is suitable for a small garden or as a container plant. It can be grown from cuttings but may perform better if grafted onto Myoporum rootstock. It is drought and frost tolerant when mature and benefits from occasional light pruning to keep its shape compact. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eremophila divaricata</i> Species of plant

Eremophila divaricata, also known as spreading emu bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a shrub with stiff, spreading, tangled branches which are often spiny on their ends, erect leaves and mauve to lilac-coloured flowers.

<i>Eremophila scoparia</i> Species of plant

Eremophila scoparia, commonly known as silver emubush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a broom-like shrub with narrow, hooked leaves, small sepals and deep lilac-coloured to white petals and is common and widespread in southern parts of the continent.

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

Eremophila dichroantha, also known as bale-hook eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with many ascending branches making the plant appear broom-like. It has small, hooked leaves and small, though abundant, violet to lilac-coloured flowers.

<i>Eremophila weldii</i> Species of plant

Eremophila weldii is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a shrub with glabrous green leaves, small sepals and purple or lilac-coloured petals and it occurs in arid and semi-arid areas of Western Australia and South Australia.

Eremophila cordatisepala is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to areas of Queensland and the Northern Territory in Australia. It is a small grey shrub with purple to lilac-coloured flowers which have heart-shaped sepals at their base.

Eremophila crassifolia, commonly known as thick-leaved emubush or trim emubush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to an area extending from New South Wales through Victoria to southern parts of South Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with clustered leaves and bell-shaped, usually mauve-coloured flowers.

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

Eremophila densifolia is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually a low, spreading shrub with densely clustered leaves and lilac to purple flowers.

<i>Eremophila gibsonii</i> Species of plant endemic to Australia

Eremophila gibsonii is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a sticky, glabrous, rounded shrub with narrow leaves and white to lilac-coloured flowers and which occurs in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

<i>Eremophila homoplastica</i> Species of plant endemic to Western Australia

Eremophila homoplastica is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with many fine, tangled branches, tiny leaves and purple to lilac-coloured flowers.

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

Eremophila koobabbiensis, commonly known as Koobabbie eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy branches, pale green leaves and lilac to pale mauve flowers. It is only known from a single farm where there were 96 mature plants in 2010, but specimens grown from cuttings survive in Victoria (Australia) and South Australia, as well as in Kings Park, Perth.

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

Eremophila lanceolata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with foliage which is shiny when young, angular branches and lilac to purple flowers and which grows in the north-west of Western Australia.

<i>Eremophila obovata</i> Species of plant

Eremophila obovata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a low, compact shrub with lilac to purple flowers growing mainly in the Northern Territory and Queensland but also Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales.

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

Eremophila ovata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the Northern Territory. It is a small, spreading, rounded shrub with hairy branches and leaves and pink or purple flowers which are white inside.

<i>Eremophila paisleyi</i> Species of plant

Eremophila paisleyi is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a rounded, broom-shaped shrub with white or lilac-coloured flowers which occurs in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

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

Eremophila phillipsii is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a tall, erect, open shrub, with narrow leaves and lilac to purple flowers which are white with purple spots inside. It often has an offensive smell.

Eremophila revoluta is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low, dense shrub with small, hairy leaves, very hairy sepals and mauve or purple petals.

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

Eremophila santalina is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is an erect, glabrous shrub with thin branches, flexible leaves and white or cream-coloured flowers which sometimes have a slight pinkish-purple tinge.

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

Eremophila spinescens is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low, spreading, rigid, spiny shrub with small leaves and lilac to dark purple flowers.

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

Eremophila ternifolia, commonly known as Wongan eremophila is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low, many-branched, shrub with short, pointed leaves and small lilac-coloured or mauve 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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Eremophila gibbifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 May 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. 291–293. ISBN   9781877058165.
  3. 1 2 3 "Eremophila gibbifolia". State Herbarium of South Australia: eflora. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "Duttonia gibbifolia". APNI. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  5. ↑ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1855). "Description of fifty new Australian plants, chiefly from the colony of Victoria". Transactions and Proceedings of the Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science. 1: 41. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Eremophila gibbifolia". APNI. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  8. ↑ Corrick, M.G.; Fuhrer, B.A. (2001). Wildflowers of Victoria and adjoining areas. Australia: Bloomings Books. ISBN   1876473142.
  9. ↑ "Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia, Threatened species profile" (PDF). Government of South Australia, Department for Heritage and Environment. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria - 2014" (PDF). The State of Victoria, Department of Environment and Primary Industries. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "Threatened Plants & Animals". Wimmera Catchment Management Authority. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  12. ↑ Boschen, Norma; Goods, Maree; Wait, Russell (2008). Australia's eremophilas : changing gardens for a changing climate. Melbourne: Bloomings Books. pp. 203–204. ISBN   9781876473655.
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