Eremophila laanii | |
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Eremophila laanii in Geelong Botanic Gardens | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
Genus: | Eremophila |
Species: | E. laanii |
Binomial name | |
Eremophila laanii | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Eremophila laanii is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with many tangled branches and flowers in a number of colour forms. It seems to be mostly restricted to the upper reaches of the beds and nearby flats of two rivers.
Eremophila laanii is a shrub or small tree usually growing to a height of 1–3 m (3–10 ft), sometimes twice as high which sometimes produces suckers. Its branches are spreading or drooping and are covered with a dense layer of fine hairs. The leaves are linear to elliptic in shape, mostly 26–40 mm (1–2 in) long, 2–7 mm (0.08–0.3 in) wide, sometimes glabrous, sometimes covered with fine hairs. [2] [3]
The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a hairy stalk 3–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and are usually clustered near the ends of the branches. There are 5 green, egg-shaped, tapering sepals which are mostly 7.5–10.5 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long, glabrous on the outer surface but hairy on the inside. The petals are 20–30 mm (0.8–1 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is sometimes pink to red with pink spots on a light colour inside the tube, or cream and without spots. The petal tube is mostly glabrous except that the inside of the tube is filled with long, soft hairs. The 4 stamens extend beyond the end of the petal tube. Flowering occurs from June to December and is followed by woody, oval-shaped to top-shaped fruits with a pointed end and which are 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and have a thin, papery covering. [2] [3]
The species was first formally described in 1884 by botanist Ferdinand von Mueller and the description was published in Australasian Chemist and Druggist.The type specimen was collected on the Upper Murchison River, near Mount Hale, by Charles Crossland. [4] The specific epithet (laanii) honours Dr van der Laan, a 19th-century Dutch promoter of scientific research. [2] [3]
Eremophila laanii occurs on clay or sandy clay soils on floodplains and riverbanks along the upper reaches of the Murchison and Gascoyne Rivers in the Carnarvon, Gascoyne, Geraldton Sandplains, Murchison and Yalgoo biogeographic regions. [5] [6] It can reproduce by root suckering and often forms dense thickets. [2]
This species is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. [5]
This eremophila is well known in cultivation. [3] It is a large, tough shrub and is suitable for large gardens where there is little competition and it can be used as a screening plant. It is most easily grown from cuttings or from its root suckers and grows in most soils, especially heavy clay. It grows naturally near rivers and although drought resistant, flowers profusely after a deep watering. It is also frost tolerant but needs to occasionally be heavily pruned in order to maintain its shape and to remove dead wood. [7] [8]
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.
Eremophila maitlandii, commonly known as Shark Bay poverty bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a silvery-grey shrub with linear leaves and lilac-coloured to light purple flowers and is common in coastal areas between Shark Bay and Carnarvon.
Eremophila miniata, commonly known as kopi poverty bush, or plumridge is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with many tangled branches, greyish leaves and flowers which vary in colour, ranging from reddish to yellow or cream.
Eremophila strongylophylla is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with distinctive round leaves, yellowish new growth and purple flowers which are white inside. It is similar to Eremophila mackinlayi and Eremophila hygrophana but distinguished from them by characteristics including leaf shape, and the type of hairs on its leaves and branches.
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.
Eremophila granitica, commonly known as granite poverty bush and thin-leaved poverty bush is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with sticky, narrow leaves and with lilac-coloured flowers.
Eremophila jucunda is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small to medium-sized shrub with hairy branches and leaves, lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves and cream-coloured, lilac or purple flowers.
Eremophila lachnocalyx, commonly known as woolly-sepaled eremophila or woolly-calyxed eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, spreading shrub with densely hairy, greyish leaves but its most distinctive feature is its densely woolly sepals.
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.
Eremophila margarethae, commonly known as sandbank poverty bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with grey leaves, flowers a shade of pink or purple, common in central areas of Western Australia.
Eremophila muelleriana, commonly known as round-leaved eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an open shrub with light-coloured new foliage, broad leaves and deep purple-violet flowers.
Eremophila petrophila is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a tall, erect, open shrub with rough branches, narrow, sticky leaves and pale lilac-coloured flowers.
Eremophila phyllopoda is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub, sometimes round or flat-topped with sticky, hairy leaves and flowers ranging in colour from pink or lilac to purple.
Eremophila platycalyx is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with its branches and leaves covered with a layer of matted hairs, although the hairs are sometimes obscured by resin. The shape of the leaves is variable, depending on subspecies, the sepals are often brightly coloured and the petals are cream-coloured, sometimes spotted on the outside. Two subspecies have been described but others have been discovered although not as yet formally described.
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.
Eremophila spathulata, commonly known as spoon-leaved eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub with many tangled branches, stiff, grey, spoon-shaped leaves, reddish-purple sepals and blue, pink or violet petals.
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 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.
Eremophila spuria is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with narrow leaves and blue, lilac, purple or white flowers and is a common and widespread species.
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.