Eremophila pentaptera

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Eremophila pentaptera
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Eremophila
Species:
E. pentaptera
Binomial name
Eremophila pentaptera

Eremophila pentaptera is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a small shrub with light green to reddish-brown branches, succulent leaves and light purple to reddish-violet flowers. It is restricted to a few areas in the north of the state.

Contents

Description

Eremophila pentaptera is a shrub with spreading branches and which grows to a height of 40 cm (20 in). The older branches are greyish-white and are often grooved. The leaves are lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, succulent, mostly glabrous, mostly 12–29.5 mm (0.5–1 in) long and 3–7 mm (0.1–0.3 in) wide. They are usually dished on the upper surface and convex on the lower side. [2]

The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a glabrous stalk 3.5–6.5 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long which has 5 distinct ribs, especially near the outer end. There are 5 mostly glabrous, lance-shaped sepals which are 9–12.5 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long. The sepals are often tinged purple and are triangular in cross-section. The petals are 22–32 mm (0.9–1 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is light purple to reddish-violet on the outside and the inner half of the lowest petal lobe and inside of the tube are cream-coloured with faint lilac spots. Both surfaces of the petal tube and lobes are glabrous except the middle of the lower lobe and the inside of the tube which have long, soft hairs. The 4 stamens are about the same length as the petal tube. The fruits are oval-shaped to bottle-shaped, usually 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and have eight prominent ribs. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described by J.M.Black in 1922 and the description was published in Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia . [3] [4] Black noted:

"This lowly Eremophila was discovered by Professor F. Wood Jones in September 1922, on flats near Miller Creek, about 60 miles (100 km.) north-east of Kingoonya Railway Station. It appears to be local in its distribution."

The specific epithet (pentaptera) is derived from the Ancient Greek πέντε (pénte) meaning "five" [5] : 597  and πτερόν (pterón) meaning "feather" or "wing" [5] : 859  referring to the wing-like sepals of this species. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Eremophila pentaptera is only found in two disjunct areas in South Australia, one near Miller's Creek and Kalina, and the other in the Copper Hills in the Pedirka Desert. [2]

Use in horticulture

This is one of the very few eremophilas that has succulent leaves. It has not been widely grown in gardens but appears to have potential for use in warm, frost-free areas. It can be propagated from cuttings and is best grown in well-drained soil in a sunny position. [6]

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

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

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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.

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

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

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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 rotundifolia</i> Species of plant

Eremophila rotundifolia is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a shrub with many tangled branches with its leaves and branches covered with a layer of silvery-grey hairs. Its flowers range in colour from pale to deep lilac. It is common in South Australia and there is also a single record from the Northern Territory.

Eremophila setacea is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with narrow, glabrous leaves, hairy sepals and light blue to purple petals.

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 spathulata</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

References

  1. ↑ "Eremophila pentaptera". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 September 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. 404–405. ISBN   9781877058165.
  3. ↑ "Eremophila pentaptera". APNI. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Black, John McConnell (1922). "Additions to the flora of South Australia (Number 20)". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia. 46: 570–571. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  5. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  6. ↑ Boschen, Norma; Goods, Maree; Wait, Russell (2008). Australia's eremophilas : changing gardens for a changing climate. Melbourne: Bloomings Books. pp. 215–216. ISBN   9781876473655.
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