Eremophila praecox is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a small, broom-like shrub with small leaves and purple and white flowers.
| Eremophila praecox | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
| Genus: | Eremophila |
| Species: | E. praecox
|
| Binomial name | |
| Eremophila praecox | |
Description
editEremophila praecox is a broom-shaped shrub which grows to a height of between 0.3 and 1.5 m (1 and 5 ft). The branches have a covering of branched hairs, especially near the tips and are also slightly sticky near the ends due to a covering of resin. The leaves are mostly arranged in opposite pairs and are linear in shape to almost cylindrical, mostly 5–11 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long, about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide, sparsely hairy and sticky when young but become glabrous as they mature.[2][3]
The flowers are borne singly, sometimes in pairs in leaf axils on hairy stalks 2–5 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long. There are 5 green to purplish-black, egg-shaped to narrow lance-shaped, hairy sepals which are 1.8–3.5 mm (0.07–0.1 in) long. The petals are 9–14 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is purple, tinged white on the outside, while the inside of the tube and lower part of the lobes are white, spotted purple. There are a few hairs on the outside of the petal tube but the inside surface of the petal lobes is glabrous while the tube is filled with long, soft hairs. The 4 stamens extend slightly beyond the end of the petal tube, including in the bud. Flowering occurs from October to December and is followed by fruits which are dry, woody, cone-shaped to oval-shaped with a pointed end and about 3.5–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long and hairy.[2][3]
Taxonomy and naming
editThis species was first formally described by Robert Chinnock in 2007 and the description was published in Eremophila and Allied Genera: A Monograph of the Plant Family Myoporaceae.[4] The specific epithet (praecox) is a Latin word meaning "too early ripe", "premature" or "precocious",[5] referring to the anthers which protrude from the flower buds.[2]
Distribution and habitat
editEremophila praecox occurs near Widgemooltha, Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie[2][3] in the Coolgardie biogeographic regions of Western Australia[6] and as scattered individuals in the western part of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. It grows in red-brown sandy loam with other eremophila species.[2][3]
Conservation
editE. praecox is classified as "Priority One" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife,[6] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.[7]
Use in horticulture
editThis eremophila is a dainty shrub with delicate blue to purple flowers. It can be propagated from cuttings or by grafting onto Myoporum rootstock and grown in a wide range of soil types, including clay. A hardy shrub, it is both frost and drought tolerant, requiring only the occasional watering during a long drought.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Eremophila praecox". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Chinnock, R.J. (Bob) (2007). Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae (1st ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. pp. 242–244. ISBN 9781877058165.
- ^ a b c d Brown, Andrew; Buirchell, Bevan (2011). A field guide to the eremophilas of Western Australia (1st ed.). Hamilton Hill, W.A.: Simon Nevill Publications. p. 224. ISBN 9780980348156.
- ^ "Eremophila praecox". APNI. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 134.
- ^ a b "Eremophila praecox". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ Boschen, Norma; Goods, Maree; Wait, Russell (2008). Australia's eremophilas : changing gardens for a changing climate. Melbourne: Bloomings Books. p. 148. ISBN 9781876473655.