Eremophila tetraptera

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Eremophila tetraptera
Eremophila tetraptera Fagg.jpg
In the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Eremophila
Species:
E. tetraptera
Binomial name
Eremophila tetraptera
Fruit Eremophila tetraptera fruit.jpg
Fruit

Eremophila tetraptera is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a shrub or small tree with narrow, lance-shaped leaves often crowded on short side branches, red flowers and unusual four-winged fruits resembling those of hop bushes.

Contents

Description

Eremophila tetraptera is a rounded shrub or small tree which grows to a height of between 1 and 3 m (3 and 10 ft) and has buff-coloured, more or less corky, smooth branches. The branches and leaves are slightly sticky when young, due to the presence of resin. The leaves are dull green and arranged alternately, scattered along the branches but often also clustered near the ends of short side-branches. They are thick, fleshy, linear to lance-shaped, mostly 35–65 mm (1–3 in) long and 4–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide. [2] [3]

The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on S-shaped, slightly hairy stalks 10–18 mm (0.4–0.7 in) long. There are 5 spreading, lance-shaped to egg-shaped sepals which are 4–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and usually glabrous. The petals are 20–28 mm (0.8–1 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is red to reddish-orange on the outside and orange to yellowish inside and the lowest petal lobe has red spots. The outside surface of petal tube and lobes is glabrous but the inner surface is covered with glandular hairs. The 4 stamens extend beyond the end of the petal tube. Flowering occurs mainly in June and July and is followed by fruit which are egg-shaped viewed side-on, 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and have 4 prominent wings. [2] [3]

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described in 1944 by Cyril Tenison White and the description was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland . [4] [5] The specific epithet (tetraptera) means four-winged, referring to the fruit. [2]

Distribution and habitat

This eremophila grows in small, scattered populations on slopes and along drainage channels in powdery clay soils, often near limestone hills. It occurs in the Diamantina River region and some of the populations occur in the Diamantina National Park. [2] [3]

Conservation

Eremophila tetraptera was classified as "Vulnerable" (VU) under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) [3] but was removed from the list in 2013. [6] It is classified as "vulnerable" under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act (1992). [7] [8]

Use in horticulture

Although this shrub is drought resistant, if supplied with adequate water will produce a massed display of reddish-orange flowers. It attracts nectar-feeding birds and its red, four-winged fruit are an added attraction. It can be propagated from cuttings and the shrub grows well in a range of soil types in full sun or partial shade. It only needs an occasional watering during a long drought and usually is only slightly damaged by frost. [9]

Related Research Articles

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

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

Eremophila lactea, commonly known as milky emu bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with its branches and leaves mostly glabrous but with white blotches due to the presence of dry resin. It is a critically endangered plant species mostly found in disturbed areas such as roadsides.

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

Eremophila scaberula, commonly known as rough emu bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low growing, heath-like shrub with crowded leaves and which produces solitary pale to dark purple flowers in the leaf axils predominantly between July and October in its native range.

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

Eremophila racemosa, also known as showy eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with glabrous leaves, small, green sepals and flowers that have many colour variations often changing as they age.

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

Eremophila alatisepala is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Queensland in Australia. It is a very sticky shrub covered with many glandular hairs which produce a resin that often obscures the hairs that produce it. The plant is usually found in stony places on ridges and slopes in the Queensland Channel Country.

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 koobabbiensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremophila koobabbiensis, commonly known as Koobabbie eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy branches, pale green leaves and lilac to pale mauve flowers. It is only known from a single farm where there were 96 mature plants in 2010, but specimens grown from cuttings survive in Victoria (Australia) and South Australia, as well as in Kings Park, Perth.

Eremophila prostrata, commonly known as Rainbow Valley fuchsia bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the Northern Territory. It is a prostrate shrub with glabrous branches and leaves and purple flowers. It occurs as a few scattered populations with a total area of less than 50 ha.

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

Eremophila resinosa, also known as resinous eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with sticky young foliage, short leaves, small sepals and mauve, purple or sometimes white 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.

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

Eremophila splendens is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub which is mostly covered with a layer of glandular hairs and has red, unspotted flowers.

Eremophila vernicosa, commonly known as resinous poverty bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with its glabrous leaves and branches appearing varnished due to a thick covering of resin. It has small leaves and white to pale mauve flowers.

Eremophila verticillata, commonly known as whorled eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a low, spreading or rounded shrub with a strong odour, small leaves pressed against the stem and purple flowers. It is a rare plant, partly due to land clearing.

Eremophila virens, commonly known as green-flowered eremophila or Campion eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with large, shiny leaves and hairy, yellowish-green flowers.

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

Eremophila viscida, commonly known as varnish bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a large shrub or small tree with large green leaves which are sticky when young, colourful sepals and greenish-white petals with red to purple markings.

<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.

Eremophila laccata is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to an area near Carnegie in Western Australia. It is a small, low, spindly shrub with scattered, linear leaves, and pink, flattened bell-shaped flowers.

Eremophila woodiae is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to western central Queensland. It is a small shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves crowded near the ends of the branches, hairy sepals and violet to light purple petals.

References

  1. ↑ "Eremophila tetraptera". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 August 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. 548–550. ISBN   9781877058165.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Approved Conservation Advice for Eremophila tetraptera" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Eremophila tetraptera". APNI. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  5. ↑ White, Cyril Tenison (1944). "Contributions to the Queensland flora number 8". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland. 55: 73. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Amendment to the list of threatened species under section 178 of the Environment Protection and Bio diversity Conservation Act 1999 (117) (02/04/2013)". Australian Government. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Threatened species". Threatened species. Government of Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 2006" (PDF). Government of Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Boschen, Norma; Goods, Maree; Wait, Russell (2008). Australia's eremophilas : changing gardens for a changing climate. Melbourne: Bloomings Books. pp. 178–179. ISBN   9781876473655.
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