Eremophila mirabilis

Eremophila mirabilis
In the Mount Annan Botanic Garden

Priority Two — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Eremophila
Species:
E. mirabilis
Binomial name
Eremophila mirabilis

Eremophila mirabilis is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrow leaves, brightly coloured sepals and petals growing in two widely separated areas.

Description

Eremophila micrantha is an erect shrub growing to a height of between 0.3 and 1.4 m (1 and 5 ft) with its branches and leaves covered with fine grey hairs, although resin secretions may make these parts sticky and the hairs difficult to discern. The leaves are arranged alternately and are linear to lance-shaped, 11–35 mm (0.4–1 in) long, 1.8–2.6 mm (0.07–0.1 in) wide and have prominent raised resin glands especially on the edges and lower surface.[2][3]

The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a hairy stalk 6–12 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long. There are 5 overlapping, egg-shaped to lance-shaped yellow to red sepals which are 14–21 mm (0.6–0.8 in) long but which enlarge after flowering. The petals are 25–35 mm (0.98–1.4 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube and lobes are cream-coloured to pale yellow with bright red spots on the outside but not inside. The outer surface of the tube and both surfaces of the lobes are glabrous but there is a band of soft hairs inside the tube. The 4 stamens extend slightly beyond the end of the petal tube. Flowering occurs from July to September and the fruits which follow are oval to cone-shaped with a pointed end and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

The 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 (mirabilis) is a Latin word meaning "wonderful" or " strange".[5]

Distribution and habitat

Eremophila mirabilis occurs in two disjunct locations, one near Niagara and the other north of Mullewa[3] in the Murchison and Yalgoo biogeographic regions.[6] Plants in both areas grow in stony clay on laterite slopes.[3]

Conservation

This species is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife[6] meaning that is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.[7]

Use in horticulture

The unusual flower colouring of this eremophila, with spots on the outside of the petal tube, and the long-lasting, large red or yellow sepals makes it a valuable addition to a garden or for a container plant on a patio. It can be propagated from cuttings but these are often slow to strike. A preferred method is grafting onto Myoporum rootstock. This shrub prefers well-drained soil in full sun and although moderately drought tolerant, needs occasional watering in a long drought. It is not frost hardy, so needs to be grown in a sunny part of the garden.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Eremophila mirabilis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b Chinnock, R.J. (Bob) (2007). Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae (1st ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. pp. 427–428. ISBN 9781877058165.
  3. ^ 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. 188. ISBN 9780980348156.
  4. ^ "Eremophila mirabilis". APNI. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  5. ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 527.
  6. ^ a b "Eremophila mirabilis". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  7. ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  8. ^ Boschen, Norma; Goods, Maree; Wait, Russell (2008). Australia's eremophilas : changing gardens for a changing climate. Melbourne: Bloomings Books. pp. 133–134. ISBN 9781876473655.