Eremophila falcata facts for kids

The Eremophila falcata is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the figwort family, called Scrophulariaceae. This plant is special because it only grows naturally in Western Australia. It's a common shrub found in many places. You can spot it by its unique curved leaves. Its flowers can be white, lilac, or pink.

What does Eremophila falcata look like?

The Eremophila falcata is a shrub that stands upright. It has sticky and shiny leaves. This plant can grow to be about 1 to 4 metres (3 to 13 feet) tall. Its leaves are thick and firm. They are also smooth, meaning they have no hairs (this is called glabrous). The leaves are curved, like a sickle. They are usually about 19 to 31 millimetres (0.7 to 1.2 inches) long. They are also 1 to 6.5 millimetres (0.04 to 0.3 inches) wide.

Flowers and Fruits

The flowers of Eremophila falcata grow alone or in small groups. Each group can have up to 4 flowers. They grow on a small stalk, about 2.5 to 4.5 millimetres (0.1 to 0.2 inches) long. There are 5 sticky, shiny green or yellowish parts called sepals. These sepals are mostly 2 to 5.5 millimetres (0.08 to 0.2 inches) long. They are shaped like an egg or a spoon.

The petals are 10 to 18 millimetres (0.4 to 0.7 inches) long. They join together at the bottom to form a tube shape. The petals can be white, pink, or lilac. The lowest part of the tube is brownish-yellow. The outside of the flower tube and its petal parts are covered with soft hairs. But the inside of the petal parts is smooth, except for the middle of the lowest part. Long, soft hairs also fill the inside of the petal tube.

This plant has 4 stamens, which are the parts that make pollen. These stamens are completely hidden inside the petal tube. Eremophila falcata mainly flowers from September to November. After the flowers, the plant grows fruits. These fruits are oval or almost round. They have a pointed end. The fruits are hairy and sticky. They are about 2.7 to 6 millimetres (0.1 to 0.2 inches) long.

How did it get its name?

This plant was first officially described in 1980. A scientist named Robert Chinnock wrote about it. His description was published in a special book called the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. The second part of its scientific name, falcata, comes from a Latin word. This word means "curved like a sickle." This name was chosen because of the plant's unique curved leaf shape.

Where does Eremophila falcata grow?

Eremophila falcata is very common and can be found in many places. It grows across the Eremaean botanical province. This area is a large part of Western Australia. You can often find it growing in stony hills and plains. It prefers soils that contain a lot of calcium carbonate, which makes them chalky.

Is Eremophila falcata in danger?

The good news is that Eremophila falcata is not considered to be in danger. The Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife says it is "not threatened." This means there are plenty of these plants around.

Growing Eremophila falcata in your garden

This Eremophila plant is special because of its unusual leaf shape. But it also produces many beautiful, sweet-smelling flowers. These flowers appear from late spring to mid-summer. When the white-flowered plants bloom, they can look like they are covered in snow!

You can grow this plant in a few ways:

• From seed.
• From cuttings (small pieces of the plant).
• By grafting it onto Myoporum rootstock (joining it to the roots of another plant).

Eremophila falcata can grow well in many different types of soil and in various sunny spots. It can even survive dry periods with only a little water. It is also very good at handling frost, which means it can grow in colder areas.