| Blistered eremophila | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
| Genus: | Eremophila |
| Species: | E. pustulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Eremophila pustulata | |
Eremophila pustulata, commonly known asblistered eremophila is aflowering plant in the figwortfamily,Scrophulariaceae and isendemic toWestern Australia. It is an erect shrub with fleshy, warty leaves and purple, lilac, violet or white flowers.
Eremophila pustulata is an erect shrub which grows to a height of 0.5 to 1.5 m (2 to 5 ft). Its branches are yellowish-green to purplish when young, turning reddish-brown as they age and turn woody. The branches are covered with small, raised warty lumps and areglabrous. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the branches and are fleshy, with the lower surface convex in shape. The leaves are mostly 5.5–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long, 1–3 mm (0.04–0.1 in) wide, glabrous, with raisedglands and are egg-shaped to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base.[2][3]
The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on hairy stalks 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long. There are 5 overlapping, green, hairysepals which are egg-shaped and mostly 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long. Thepetals are 9.5–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is lilac-coloured, purple, blue or sometimes white, and faintly spotted purple inside the tube. The 4 stamens are fully enclosed in the petal tube. Flowering occurs from April to December and is followed by the fruits which are oval-shaped to almost spherical, glabrous, reddish-brown to blackish-browndrupes.[2][3]
This species was first formally described bySpencer Le Marchant Moore in 1905 and the description was published inJournal of Botany, British and Foreign.[4][5] Thespecific epithet (pustulata) is derived from theLatin wordpustula meaning "pimple", "bubble" or "blister",[6] referring to the prominent wart-like lumps on the branches and lower surface of the leaves.[2]
Blistered eremophila is common in areas aroundKalgoorlie in theCoolgardie andMurchisonbiogeographic regions[7] where it grows in sandy-loam or clay ingreenstone hills and plains.[8]
Eremophila pustulata is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian GovernmentDepartment of Parks and Wildlife.[7]
A very hardy and attractive shrub, some specimens of this eremophila have been in cultivation for more than 25 years. It can be propagated from seed or fromcuttings and grows well in a range of soils, including clay, in full sun or part shade and is both drought and frost tolerant.[9]