Eremophila occidens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eremophila occidens |
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| E. occidens leaves and flowers | |
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Eremophila (plant)
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occidens
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Eremophila occidens is a beautiful flowering plant that belongs to the figwort family, called Scrophulariaceae. This plant is special because it is found only in Western Australia. It's a tall, thin shrub with hairy branches when it's young. Its light green leaves are close together at the ends of the branches. In early Spring, you can see its lovely purple to deep violet flowers. This plant only grows in the far western part of Western Australia.
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What Does Eremophila occidens Look Like?
Eremophila occidens is usually a tall, thin shrub that can grow up to about 1.5 meters (5 feet) high. It often has many tangled branches near the bottom. When the stems are young, they are covered with tiny hairs.
Its leaves grow one after another along the stem. They are close together near the ends of the branches and stand upright. Most leaves are about 17 to 28 millimeters (0.7 to 1.1 inches) long and 3.5 to 6.5 millimeters (0.1 to 0.3 inches) wide. They are shaped like an oval or a spear. The leaves have small bumps, especially on their underside, where you can also see a raised line down the middle.
Flowers and Fruits
The flowers grow one by one where a leaf meets the stem. Each flower sits on a hairy stalk that is usually 7 to 15 millimeters (0.3 to 0.6 inches) long. There are 5 hairy sepals (leaf-like parts that protect the bud) that are usually 10 to 12 millimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) long. These sepals often have purplish tips.
The petals are 13 to 22 millimeters (0.5 to 0.9 inches) long and are joined together at the bottom to form a tube. This petal tube is purple to deep violet. The outside of the tube and both sides of its petal tips are smooth. However, the inside of the tube is full of long, soft hairs. The 4 stamens (the parts that produce pollen) are completely hidden inside the petal tube.
Eremophila occidens flowers from August to September. After the flowers, dry, woody fruits appear. These fruits are shaped like a cylinder and are 8 to 9 millimeters (0.3 to 0.4 inches) long.
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How Eremophila occidens Got Its Name
This plant was first officially described by a scientist named Robert Chinnock in 2007. He wrote about it in a book called Eremophila and Allied Genera: A Monograph of the Plant Family Myoporaceae.
The second part of its scientific name, occidens, comes from a Latin word. Occidens means "west" or "in the direction of the setting sun." This name makes sense because the plant is found in the far western part of Australia!
Where Does Eremophila occidens Grow?
Eremophila occidens grows in two separate areas in Western Australia. One group of plants is found on the Cape Range, and the other is near Shark Bay. These areas are part of the Carnarvon and Yalgoo regions.
The plants on the Cape Range grow in limestone soils in open heathland (an area with low-growing shrubs). The plants near Shark Bay grow between sand dunes in shrubland (an area mainly covered by shrubs).
Protecting Eremophila occidens
The Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife has given this plant a special classification: "Priority Two." This means that we don't know a lot about this plant, and it is only found in one or a few locations. Because it's not very common, it's important to keep an eye on it and protect its habitats.
