Eremophila fasciata, commonly known as spaghetti eremophila,[2] is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of Western Australia. It is a densely-foliaged shrub with grey, felty leaves and blue to violet-coloured flowers clustered at the tips of its branches.
| Spaghetti eremophila | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
| Genus: | Eremophila |
| Species: | E. fasciata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Eremophila fasciata | |
Description
editEremophila fasciata is an erect shrub which grows to a height of between 0.5 and 1.5 m (2 and 5 ft) and is covered with a dense layer of yellowish-grey hairs, giving the foliage a felty texture. The branches are rough due to large numbers of leaf bases left after older leaves have fallen. The leaves are densely crowded and overlapping at the ends of the branches and are 34–55 mm (1–2 in) long, 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide, thick and linear in shape.[2][3]
The flowers are borne singly without a stalk in leaf axils and are clustered near the ends of the branches. There are 5 claw-like sepals which are linear in shape, flattened at the base and needle-like at the tip, 9–11.5 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long, about 1 mm (0.04 in) wide and covered in the same hairs as the leaves and branches. The petals are 25–30 mm (0.98–1.2 in) long and joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is dark lilic-coloured to blue on the outside and white inside with lilac-coloured spots. The outside of the tube and the petal lobes are covered with a hairy layer like the leaves and sepals while the inside of the petal lobes is glabrous and the inside of the tube is densely filled with white, woolly hairs. Flowering occurs from June to September and is followed by fruits which are cone-shaped, 7.5–8.5 mm (0.30–0.33 in) long and have a woolly covering.[2][3]
Taxonomy and naming
editThe 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][3][2] The specific epithet is according to Chinnock from the "Latin fasciata, a bundle; referring to the flowers densely clustered at the branch tips and making the plant appear fasciated".[3] The word in classical and botanical Latin for "bundle" is fascis.[5][6]
Distribution and habitat
editEremophila fasciata is only known from the hills south-east of Meekatharra in the Murchison biogeographic region where it grows with other dense shrubs.[3][2][7][8]
Conservation status
editEremophila fasciata is classified as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia 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
editThe crowded, furry leaves are an attractive feature of this eremophila but may make it less suitable for gardens in areas of high humidity. It also produces masses of flowers in spring. E. fasciata is difficult to propagate from seed or from cuttings but can be grafted onto Myoporum rootstock during warm weather. It prefers well-drained soil, will grow in full sun or partial shade and is tolerant of most frosts.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Eremophila fasciata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Brown, Andrew; Buirchell, Bevan (2011). A field guide to the eremophilas of Western Australia (1st ed.). Hamilton Hill, W.A.: Simon Nevill Publications. p. 99. ISBN 9780980348156.
- ^ 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. 475–477. ISBN 9781877058165.
- ^ "Eremophila fasciata". APNI. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^ Lewis, C.T. & Short, C. (1879). A Latin dictionary founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- ^ Stearn, W.T. (1983). Botanical Latin. History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary. (3rd edition). Newton Abbot London: David Charles.
- ^ a b "Eremophila fasciata". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 335. ISBN 0646402439.
- ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ Boschen, Norma; Goods, Maree; Wait, Russell (2008). Australia's eremophilas : changing gardens for a changing climate. Melbourne: Bloomings Books. pp. 94–96. ISBN 9781876473655.