Eremophila deserti

Eremophila deserti
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Eremophila
Species: E. deserti
Binomial name
Eremophila deserti
(A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Chinnock
Synonyms
  • Eremophila desertii (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Chinnock
  • Eremophila myoporoides F.Muell.
  • Myoporum apiculatum A.DC.
  • Myoporum desertii A.Cunn. ex Benth.
  • Myoporum dulce Benth.,
  • Myoporum laxiflorum Benth.
  • Myoporum patens A.Cunn. ex A.DC.
  • Myoporum rugulosum F.Muell.
  • Myoporum strictum A.Cunn. ex A.DC.
  • Myoporum tetrandrum var. apiculatum (A.DC.) Domin

Eremophila deserti is a shrub which is endemic to Australia.Common names for this species include Turkey Bush, Dogwood, Poison Bush Ellangowan Poison Bush, Pencil Bush and Carrot Bush. Some forms are poisonous to stock.[1]

Description

It grows to between 0.3 and 4 metres in height and has thick, linear, unstalked leaves which are 25 to 50 mm long, 3–6 mm wide. The honey-scented flowers are white to cream, sometimes with a flush of pink at the base, and without the spots seen in many other species of the genus. These appear between April and November (mid autumn and late spring) in its native range.[1][2]

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described in 1837 as Myoporum desertii and reclassified within the genus Eremophila in 1986 by Robert Chinnock. The specific Latin epithet deserti(i) alludes to the arid regions in which it occurs.[1]

The species is included in Eremophila sect. Pholiopsis which also includes Eremophila cuneata, Eremophila santolina and Eremophila fallax.[1]

Distribution

Eremophila deserti occurs in arid parts of south-eastern Queensland, New South Wales, western Victoria and in the south of both South Australia and Western Australia, being particularly abundant on the Nullarbor Plain.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Chinnock, R.J. (2007). Eremophila and Allied Genera: A Monograph of the Plant Family. Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 1-877058-16-5.
  2. ↑ "Eremophila deserti". FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.

External links