Eremophila occidens

Last updated

Eremophila occidens
Eremophila occidens.jpg
E. occidens leaves and flowers
Status DECF P2.svg
Priority Two — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Eremophila
Species:
E. occidens
Binomial name
Eremophila occidens

Eremophila occidens is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a slender, erect shrub with branches that are hairy at first, light green leaves crowded at the ends of the branches and purple to deep violet flowers in early Spring. It is restricted to the extreme west of Western Australia.

Contents

Description

Eremophila occidens is usually an erect, slender shrub growing to a height of 1.5 m (5 ft) often with many tangled branches lower down. Its younger stems are densely covered with simple, branched and glandular hairs. Its leaves are arranged alternately, overlap near the ends of the branches and are erect, mostly 17–28 mm (0.7–1 in) long, 3.5–6.5 mm (0.1–0.3 in) wide and elliptic to lance-shaped. They have prominent raised lumps, especially on the lower surface and a raised mid-vein on the lower surface. [2] [3]

The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on an erect, hairy stalk usually 7–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long. There are 5 hairy sepals which are usually 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long and which often have purplish ends. The petals are 13–22 mm (0.5–0.9 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is purple to deep violet and the outer surface of the petal tube and both surfaces of its lobes are glabrous, while the inside of the tube is filled with long, soft hairs. The 4 stamens are fully enclosed in the petal tube. Flowering occurs from August to September and the fruits which follow are dry, woody, close to cylindrical in shape and 8–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long. [2] [3]

E. occidens growing near Shark Bay Eremophila occidens (habit).jpg
E. occidens growing near Shark Bay

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described by Robert Chinnock in 2007 and the description was published in Eremophila and Allied Genera: A Monograph of the Plant Family Myoporaceae. [4] The specific epithet (occidens) is derived from the Latin word occidens meaning "west" or "in the direction of the setting sun". [5]

Distribution and habitat

Eremophila occidens occurs in two disjunct populations, one on the Cape Range and the other at Shark Bay in the Carnarvon and Yalgoo biogeographic regions. [6] The Cape Range population grows on calcareous soils in open heath and the Shark Bay population grows between sand dunes in shrubland. [2] [3]

Conservation

This species is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife [6] meaning that is poorly known and from only one or a few locations. [7]

Related Research Articles

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

Eremophila hygrophana is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is an erect, compact shrub with crowded, grey leaves and violet to purple flowers and is native to South Australia and Western Australia.

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

Eremophila complanata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a small area in the south west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with narrow, flattened leaves and hairy pink flowers which are also distinctly flattened.

<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 glutinosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila glutinosa, commonly known as sticky emu bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, densely foliaged shrub with branches and leaves sticky and shiny due to the presence of resin. It has hairy sepals and lilac-coloured flowers.

Eremophila gracillima is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with narrow leaves which have their edges folded under, and lilac to violet flowers. It is restricted to an area near Mount Vernon.

Eremophila hispida is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a small shrub with narrow, hairy, clustered leaves, with violet to purple flowers and is restricted to a small area in central Queensland.

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

Eremophila magnifica is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with large, clustered leaves and large, attractive lilac-coloured or purple flowers, sometimes so densely clustered that they appear like compound heads of terminal flowers.

Eremophila pallida is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with hairy stems, leaves with a few serrations and reddish purple to violet flowers.

Eremophila pendulina is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a tall, spindly, weeping shrub with narrow leaves and purple, mauve or white flowers in autumn and early spring.

<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 recurva</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila recurva is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a shrub with hairy grey leaves, large grey sepals and blue, mauve or lilac flowers.

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 rigens</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila rigens is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with long, stiff, glabrous leaves and pale lilac-coloured to white flowers.

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

Eremophila rigida is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, rigid shrub with thick, hairy, rigid leaves and pale yellowish-cream 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.

Eremophila simulans is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with broad, serrated leaves and violet to purple flowers.

<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 tenella is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, spindly shrub with pendulous branches and with its branches and leaves covered with a layer of fine, branched, yellow-grey hairs. Its buds are yellowish but open to white or pale lilac flowers.

Eremophila viscimarginata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small, erect, prickly shrub with hairy stems, small leaves, greenish-pink sepals and mauve petals.

References

  1. ↑ "Eremophila occidens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Chinnock, R.J. (Bob) (2007). Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae (1st ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. pp. 288–290. 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. p. 194. ISBN   9780980348156.
  4. ↑ "Eremophila occidens". APNI. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 853.
  6. 1 2 "Eremophila occidens". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  7. ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.