Eremophila conferta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eremophila conferta
E. conferta growing near Mount Augustus
Scientific classification
Genus:	Eremophila (plant)
Species:	conferta

Eremophila conferta is a beautiful flowering plant that belongs to the figwort family, called Scrophulariaceae. It grows naturally only in a small area in the central west of Western Australia. This plant is a shrub with many tangled branches. Its leaves are close together near the ends of the branches, and it has pretty mauve or purple flowers.

What Does Eremophila conferta Look Like?

Eremophila conferta is a shrub that usually grows about 1 to 1.5 meters (3 to 5 feet) tall. It has many dark brown branches that often get hidden by its leaves, especially at the ends. These branches are covered with long, soft hairs. The leaves grow one after another along the stem and are packed closely together. They are covered with soft grey hairs. Each leaf is shaped like an oval or an egg, usually 12 to 25 millimeters (about half to one inch) long and 6.5 to 13 millimeters (about a quarter to half an inch) wide. You can see a clear line down the middle of the underside of each leaf.

The flowers grow one by one where the leaves meet the stem, on small stalks that are 3 to 9 millimeters (about a quarter to a third of an inch) long. There are 5 narrow, spear-shaped sepals (these are like small leaves that protect the flower bud). They are 7 to 13.5 millimeters (about a quarter to half an inch) long and feel like felt because they are covered in long, soft hairs. The petals are 18 to 28 millimeters (about three-quarters to one inch) long and are joined at the bottom to form a tube. This petal tube is purple, blue, or lilac-coloured on the outside and white inside. It often has faint purple spots and is mostly smooth (without hairs). The 4 stamens (the parts that make pollen) are completely hidden inside the petal tube.

Eremophila conferta usually flowers from August to September. After the flowers, it produces oval-shaped fruits that are yellow-brown and have a papery covering. These fruits are about 5.5 to 7.5 millimeters (about a quarter of an inch) long.

E. conferta leaves and flowers

How Eremophila conferta Got Its Name

The plant Eremophila conferta was first officially described by a scientist named Robert Chinnock in 2007. He published his description in a book called Eremophila and Allied Genera: A Monograph of the Plant Family Myoporaceae. The first plant specimen used for this description, called the type specimen, was collected by Chinnock about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) west of the Mount Augustus homestead, on the lower slopes of Mount Augustus.

The second part of the plant's name, conferta, comes from a Latin word that means "crowded." This name was chosen because the leaves of this plant grow very close together.

Where Eremophila conferta Grows

This type of eremophila plant is found in Western Australia, specifically between a place called Kumarina and the Barlee Range. This area is part of the Gascoyne region. It likes to grow in rocky soils on flat areas (plains) and on stony ridges.

Is Eremophila conferta Endangered?

The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at Eremophila conferta. They have officially classified it as "not threatened," which means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.

Growing Eremophila conferta in Gardens

This eremophila plant is popular in gardens because of its soft grey leaves and pretty flowers. However, it doesn't like frost (very cold temperatures) and it doesn't do well in places with high humidity (lots of moisture in the air).

Gardeners have found that they can grow this plant by joining a piece of it onto another plant called Myoporum (this is called grafting). It grows best in soil that drains water well and in a sunny spot.