Eremophila purpurascens

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Purple eremophila
Eremophila purpurascens.jpg
Eremophila purpurascens leaves and flowers
Status DECF P3.svg
Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
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. purpurascens
Binomial name
Eremophila purpurascens

Eremophila purpurascens, commonly known as purple eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with warty leaves and spotted, pink to red flowers.

Contents

Description

Eremophila purpurascens is an erect shrub with many tangled branches. It grows to a height of up to 1.5 m (5 ft). Many of its branches arise from ground level and the leaves smell like camphor when crushed. The branches have persistent raised leaf bases, prominent glands and are glabrous and often sticky due to the presence of resin. The leaves are often all clustered at the ends of the branches and are thick, fleshy, egg-shaped to spoon-shaped, mostly 7.5–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long, 3–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide, often sticky and have prominent raised, warty glands. [2] [3] [4]

The flowers are usually borne singly in leaf axils on S-shaped, hairy stalks usually 10–25 mm (0.4–1 in) long. There are five overlapping, green and pinkish-purple, hairy sepals which are broadly egg-shaped and mostly 8–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long. The petals are 22–30 mm (0.9–1 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The flower buds are yellow with purple spots but when the flower opens, the petal tube is light pinkish-purple with darker purple spots on the outside of the tube and the inside of the lower petal lobe. The inside of the tube is yellow. The four stamens extend slightly beyond the end of the petal tube. Flowering occurs from August to October and is followed by fruits which are dry, cone-shaped, about 4 mm (0.2 in) long, glabrous and black. [2] [3] [4]

Eremophila purpurascens growing near Norseman Eremophila purpurascens (habit).jpg
Eremophila purpurascens growing near Norseman
Eremophila purpurascens white form Eremophila purpurascens (white) 02.jpg
Eremophila purpurascens white form

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described by Robert Chinnock in 1979 and the description was published in Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. [5] [4] The specific epithet (purpurascens) is derived from the Latin word purpureus meaning "purple" [6] : 643  with the suffix -escens meaning "becoming" [6] : 135  referring to the sepals which become more purplish as they age. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Purple eremophila is found on rocky hills near Norseman, Western Australia, [3] in the Coolgardie biogeographic region. [7] [8]

Conservation

Eremophila purpurascens is classified as "Priority Three" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife, [7] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat. [9]

Use in horticulture

The thick, heart-shaped leaves and pinkish-purple flowers of this shrub are its main attractions. It can be propagated easily from cuttings and grows well in a range of soils, including clay. It is a hardy garden shrub requiring little or no watering, even during a long drought, and is very frost hardy. [10]

Related Research Articles

Eremophila coacta is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a small area in the north west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with narrow, sticky, pointed leaves and densely hairy light to dark lilac-coloured flowers.

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

Eremophila enata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to central areas of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with serrated leaves and purplish to pinkish flowers.

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

Eremophila flabellata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with serrated leaves, broad serrated sepals and pink, purple or mauve flowers.

<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 micrantha, commonly known as small-flowered poverty bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a rounded shrub with many thin, flexible branches, narrow leaves and small white 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 papillata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, compact shrub with sticky, narrow leaves and mauve, blue or purple, rarely white 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.

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.

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

Eremophila platythamnos, commonly known as desert foxglove, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is an erect shrub with short, broad leaves and purple, mauve, blue or pink flowers.

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

Eremophila psilocalyx is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with a broom-like shape, narrow, hooked leaves and white, pink, blue or purple flowers. It is common in the mallee country around Esperance. It was sometimes incorrectly known as Eremophila pachyphylla.

<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.

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

Eremophila pustulata, commonly known as blistered eremophila is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with fleshy, warty leaves and purple, lilac, violet or white flowers.

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

Eremophila reticulata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a dense shrub with egg-shaped leaves, colourful sepals and white or pink flowers.

Eremophila rostrata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with cylinder-shaped leaves, small sepals and glabrous, pink to deep red petals. There are two subspecies, both of which are critically endangered.

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.

Eremophila succinea is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, broom-shaped shrub with sticky, narrow, hooked leaves, narrow, sticky sepals and hairy, pale purple or mauve petals.

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

Eremophila veneta, commonly known as metallic-flowered eremophila is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low, spreading, sticky shrub with dark green leaves and bluish-green petals.

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

Eremophila willsii is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is an erect shrub with bright green, often serrated leaves and pinkish to deep pinkish-purple petals. It is mainly found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia in deep sand.

References

  1. ↑ "Eremophila purpuracsens". 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. 619–620. 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. 232. ISBN   9780980348156.
  4. 1 2 3 Chinnock, Robert J. (1979). "Ten new species of Eremophila (Myoporaceae) from central and Western Australia" (PDF). Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. 1 (4): 246–248. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "Eremophila purpurascens". APNI. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  6. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  7. 1 2 "Eremophila purpurascens". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  8. ↑ Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 341. ISBN   978-0646402437.
  9. ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Boschen, Norma; Goods, Maree; Wait, Russell (2008). Australia's eremophilas : changing gardens for a changing climate. Melbourne: Bloomings Books. p. 154. ISBN   9781876473655.
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