Eremophila pterocarpa

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Silver poverty bush
Eremophila pterocarpa pterocarpa (leaves and flowers).jpg
Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. pterocarpa leaves 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. pterocarpa
Binomial name
Eremophila pterocarpa

Eremophila pterocarpa, commonly known as silver poverty bush or winged-fruited eremophila, [2] is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a densely foliaged, upright shrub with most of its parts covered with a silvery powder.

Contents

Description

Eremophila pterocarpa is a dense, rounded shrub growing to 2 metres (7 ft), sometimes 5 metres (20 ft)) in height. The leaves lack a stalk and are crowded together, linear to lance-shaped with a pointed end. They are usually 14–40 millimetres (0.6–2 in) long and 1.0–5.6 millimetres (0.04–0.2 in) wide. The leaves and stems are covered with powder-like short, matted hairs. [3] [4]

The flowers are red to yellow, lack spots and are arranged singly in the leaf axils on a stalk which is 10–16 millimetres (0.4–0.6 in) long. There are 5 sepals which are narrow egg-shaped to triangular and of approximately equal lengths. The petals, which give the flowers their colour are 14–24 millimetres (0.6–0.9 in) long and joined in a tube with 5 lobes at the end. As with the leaves, the sepals and petals have a dusty covering of short, fine hairs. Flowering occurs between June and September and is followed by fruits which are flattened and dry with papery wings. [3] [4] [5]

Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. acicularis leaves and flowers Eremophila pterocarpa acicularis (leaves and flowers).jpg
Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. acicularis leaves and flowers
Eremophila pterocarpa fruit Eremophila pterocarpa acicularis (fruit).jpg
Eremophila pterocarpa fruit

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described in 1904 by William Vincent Fitzgerald in the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia. [6] [7] The specific epithet pterocarpa is from the Ancient Greek πτερόν (pterón) meaning “wing" or "feather” [8] :859 and καρπός (karpós) meaning “fruit" or "grain” [8] :356 referring to the winged fruits. [3]

Subspecies

The following subspecies have been described by Robert Chinnock: [3]

Distribution and habitat

Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. pterocarpa occurs in and between the Cape Range, Shark Bay and Meekatharra areas where it grows in sandy clay or soils derived from limestone, in flats or salty sites. [3] [11] [12] Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. acicularis is found between Wiluna and the pastoral leases Neds Creek and Earaheedy, where it grows in more rocky, saline sites. [3] [12] [13]

Conservation

Both subspecies of silver poverty bush are listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. [5]

Use in horticulture

The silvery-grey foliage and winged fruit are attractive features of this shrub as are the dusky pink to red flowers. It is a hardy plant and some in cultivation are more than 30 years old. It can be propagated from cuttings or by grafting onto Myoporum species and will grow in a wide range of soils, including saline, alkaline, or clay soils. In nature it is subject to long droughts and occasional flooding and this watering regime will encourage its flowering. It is also tolerant of frosts and of hard pruning when mature. [14]

Related Research Articles

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

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

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<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 bowmanii</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila bowmanii, also known as silver turkeybush, Bowman's poverty bush and flannel bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia. It is a low to medium, spreading shrub with silvery-grey, hairy foliage and blue to lilac flowers, and sometimes grows in dense thickets with mulga.

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

Eremophila denticulata, also known as toothed eremophila, toothed poverty bush and Fitzgerald eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with red flowers and leaves that have toothed margins.

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

Eremophila fraseri, commonly known as burra or jilarnu, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with all above-ground parts of the plant, apart from the petals, sticky and shiny due to the presence of a large amount of resin. The petals are coloured white, cream, pink and brown.

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

Eremophila subfloccosa, also known as dense-felted eremophila is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a shrub which often has foliage covered with soft hairs, giving the plant a silvery grey hue and making it soft to touch. The leaves are strongly scented when crushed. Its flowers are usually greenish yellow in colour and have the stamens protruding from the ends. Dense-felted eremophila is common after fire, but becomes less so as others recover and compete with it.

Eremophila arachnoides is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a few arid areas of Western Australia and South Australia. It is a little-known, broom-shaped shrub with white to mauve, trumpet-shaped flowers which are densely hairy on the inside.

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.

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

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 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.

<i>Eremophila glabra <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> albicans</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Eremophila glabra subsp. albicans is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is similar to other shrubs in the species Eremophila glabra but it distinguished from them by its usually grey, felty leaves, dull yellow, orange or red flowers with hairy sepals, growing in sandy soils on dunes and limestone outcrops between Bunbury and Shark Bay.

<i>Eremophila glabra <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> carnosa</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Eremophila glabra subsp. carnosa is a plant in the family Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is similar to other shrubs in the species Eremophila glabra but is distinguished from them mainly by its narrow elliptic to lance-shaped leaves and by the type and arrangement of hairs on its leaves and branches. It is found in coastal areas between Leeman and Gregory.

<i>Eremophila jucunda <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> jucunda</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Eremophila jucunda subsp. jucunda is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with hairy leaves and white to violet flowers often growing on stony hillsides. It is similar to subspecies pulcherrima but is distinguished from it by its yellow new growth and more southerly distribution.

<i>Eremophila jucunda <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> pulcherrima</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Eremophila jucunda subsp. pulcherrima is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with grey, hairy leaves and sepals and blue or mauve flowers often growing in stony places. It is similar to subspecies jucunda but is distinguished from it by its grey new growth and more northerly distribution.

<i>Eremophila pterocarpa <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> pterocarpa</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. pterocarpa is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a common and widespread large shrub or small tree with grey leaves and sepals and orange, pink or yellow petals.

<i>Eremophila pterocarpa <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> acicularis</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. acicularis is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a locally common shrub with grey leaves and sepals and a red flower tube which is orange inside.

References

  1. ↑ "Eremophila pterocarpa". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  2. ↑ "Eremophila pterocarpa". APNI. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chinnock, Robert J. (2007). Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae (1st ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. pp. 481–484. ISBN   9781877058165.
  4. 1 2 Brown, Andrew; Buirchell, Bevan (2011). A field guide to the eremophilas of Western Australia (1st ed.). Hamilton Hill, W.A.: Simon Nevill Publications. pp. 227–228. ISBN   9780980348156.
  5. 1 2 "Eremophila pterocarpa". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  6. ↑ "Eremophila pterocarpa". APNI. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  7. ↑ Fitzgerald, William Vincent (1904). "Additions to the West Australian Flora". Journal of the West Australian Natural History Society. 1: 28–29. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  8. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  9. ↑ "Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. pterocarpa". APNI. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. acicularis". APNI. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. pterocarpa". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  12. 1 2 Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 341. ISBN   0646402439.
  13. ↑ "Eremophila pterocarpa subsp. acicularis". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  14. ↑ Boschen, Norma; Goods, Maree; Wait, Russell (2008). Australia's eremophilas : changing gardens for a changing climate. Melbourne: Bloomings Books. pp. 150–152. ISBN   9781876473655.
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