Eremophila papillata facts for kids

Eremophila papillata is a cool flowering plant that grows as a compact shrub. It's part of the figwort family, called Scrophulariaceae. This plant is special because it's found only in Western Australia. It has sticky, narrow leaves and beautiful flowers that can be mauve, blue, or purple, and sometimes even white!

What Does It Look Like?

Eremophila papillata is a neat, upright shrub. It usually grows to be about 25 to 75 centimeters (10 to 30 inches) tall. Its bark feels a bit rough. Both its leaves and branches are sticky. This stickiness comes from a lot of resin, which is a natural, gooey substance.

Most of the leaves grow one after another along the branches. They are long and thin, usually about 5 to 15 millimeters (0.2 to 0.6 inches) long and 2.5 to 7 millimeters (0.1 to 0.3 inches) wide. When the leaves are young, they have tiny hairs. They also have many small, raised bumps, like little pimples, which are actually tiny glands.

The Flowers

The flowers grow one by one where the leaves meet the branches. Each flower sits on a sticky, hairy stalk that is about 3.5 to 7 millimeters (0.14 to 0.28 inches) long.

Each flower has 5 sepals. Sepals are like small, leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud. These sepals overlap, are sticky and hairy, and measure about 3 to 6.5 millimeters (0.12 to 0.26 inches) long. They can be egg-shaped or spear-shaped.

The petals are joined together at their bottom to form a tube. This petal tube is about 8.5 to 20 millimeters (0.33 to 0.79 inches) long. On the outside, the tube is dark purple, lilac, or blue. Sometimes, it's even white! Inside, it's white with faint lilac-purple spots.

The outside of the petal tube and its tips are smooth, meaning they have no hairs. The inside of the tips is also smooth. But the inside of the tube is full of long, soft hairs. The flower has 4 stamens (the parts that produce pollen), and they are completely hidden inside the petal tube.

Eremophila papillata flowers in August. After the flowers, dry, cone-shaped fruits appear. These fruits are quite woody and rough, and they are about 4 to 5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.20 inches) long.

How It Got Its Name

This plant was officially described for the first time in 2007 by a scientist named Robert Chinnock. He published its description in a book about Eremophila plants.

The second part of its scientific name, papillata, comes from a Latin word. It means "bud-like." This name was chosen because of the small, nipple-like glands found on the leaves of this plant.

Where It Lives

Eremophila papillata is found only in Western Australia. It grows in an area between Kondinin and Wongan Hills. This region is known as the Avon Wheatbelt and Mallee biogeographic regions. It likes to grow in hard clay-loam soil.

Looking After This Plant

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife says that Eremophila papillata is "not threatened." This means there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not in danger of disappearing.

Growing It in Your Garden

This compact shrub is a great plant for gardens! Its dark green leaves look amazing next to its blue or purple flowers. It's a tough plant that can handle different conditions.

You can grow new plants from cuttings (small pieces of the plant) almost any time of the year. It can grow in most types of soil, even clay. It loves full sun, but it doesn't need much water. Even during long dry periods, it only needs watering once or twice. It can also handle frosts well.