Eremophila regia is low-growing shrub with pink to red flowers, small thread-like leaves and that is endemic to Western Australia. It grows on rocky hilltops in the Princess Ranges.
| Eremophila regia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
| Genus: | Eremophila |
| Species: | E. regia
|
| Binomial name | |
| Eremophila regia | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Eremophila sp. 'Princess Range' | |
Description
editEremophila regia is a shrub that typically grows to 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) high and 30–50 cm (12–20 in) wide. Its branches are grey to black and warty. The leaves are arranged alternately, green, sessile, warty, thread-like or linear, 5–11 mm (0.20–0.43 in) long and 1–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) wide. The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a slightly curved pedicel 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long. There are five lance-shaped, green to dark pink sepals that are 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long, 2.5 mm (0.098 in) wide and curved backwards. The petal tube is pinkish red, 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) long and unspotted, its inner and outer surfaces with glandular hairs. The four stamens and style extend beyond the end of the petal tube. Flowering mainly occurs between June and August but also at other times after rainfall.[2][3]
Taxonomy and naming
editThis species was first formally described in 2016 by Bevan Buirchell and Andrew Phillip Brown in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected in the Princess Ranges in 2004.[4] The specific epithet (regia) is from the Latin regius meaning "royal" or "regal", referring to the type location.[3][5]
Distribution and habitat
editEremophila regia is only known from the Princess Ranges and on Prenti Downs further east and west of Lake Carnegie. It grows on rocky hilltops in low, open shrubland in the Gascoyne biogeographic region.[2][3][6]
Conservation
editEremophila regia is classified is classified as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife,[6] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Eremophila regia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ a b Brown, Andrew; Buirchell, Bevan (2011). A field guide to the eremophilas of Western Australia (1st ed.). Hamilton Hill, W.A.: Simon Nevill Publications. p. 315. ISBN 9780980348156.
- ^ a b c Buirchell, Bevan; Brown, Andrew P. (2016). "New species of Eremophila (Scrophulariaceae): thirteen geographically restricted species from Western Australia" (PDF). Nuytsia. 27: 273–275. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Eremophila regia". APNI. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ Francis Aubie Sharr (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings. Kardinya, Western Australia: Four Gables Press. p. 292. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ a b "Eremophila regia". 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 10 March 2020.