Eremophila simulans facts for kids

Eremophila simulans is a beautiful flowering plant that belongs to the figwort family, also known as Scrophulariaceae. This plant is special because it's only found in Western Australia, meaning it's endemic there. It grows as an upright shrub, which is like a bushy plant, and has wide leaves with jagged edges. Its flowers are a lovely violet or purple color.

What Does Eremophila simulans Look Like?

Eremophila simulans is an upright shrub that can grow from about 0.6 to 2 meters (2 to 7 feet) tall. Its leaves and branches feel sticky and look shiny. This is because they are covered in a natural sticky substance called resin.

The leaves are shaped like an oval or an egg. They have tiny hairs along their edges and often on their surfaces too. Sometimes, the resin coating can hide these hairs. Most leaves are about 8.5 to 17 millimeters (0.3 to 0.7 inches) long. They are also about 4 to 8.5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.33 inches) wide. A cool feature of these leaves is their serrated, or jagged, edges.

Flowers and Fruits

The flowers of Eremophila simulans grow one by one where the leaves meet the stem. They sit on hairy, slightly sticky stalks that are about 12.5 to 23 millimeters (0.5 to 0.9 inches) long. Each flower has five greenish-purple or reddish-brown sepals. Sepals are like small leaves that protect the flower bud. These sepals overlap and are shaped like an egg or are almost round. They can be quite long, from 6 to 20 millimeters (0.24 to 0.79 inches). The size and shape of these sepals can be different depending on the specific type of Eremophila simulans.

The petals of the flower are about 19 to 26 millimeters (0.75 to 1.0 inches) long. They join together at the bottom to form a tube shape. The outside of this tube is purple or violet. Inside, it's white with reddish-brown stripes. The outside of the petal tube and its tips are hairy. However, the inside surface of the tips is smooth. The inside of the tube is filled with soft, woolly hairs. There are four stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen, hidden inside the petal tube.

Eremophila simulans usually flowers from August to October. After the flowers, the plant produces fruits. These fruits are dry, woody, and oval-shaped. They are also hairy and measure about 6.5 to 9 millimeters (0.26 to 0.35 inches) long.

How Eremophila simulans 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 called Eremophila and Allied Genera: A Monograph of the Plant Family Myoporaceae.

The second part of its scientific name, simulans, comes from a Latin word. It means "imitating" or "copying." This name was chosen because Eremophila simulans looks very similar to another plant called Eremophila georgei.

Different Types of Eremophila simulans

There are three slightly different types, or subspecies, of Eremophila simulans:

• Eremophila simulans subsp. simulans: This type has sepals shaped like an oval or an egg. Its branches and leaves have simple, straight hairs.
• Eremophila simulans subsp. lapidensis: This type has egg-shaped sepals. Its branches and leaves have both simple hairs and special glandular hairs, which can be sticky. After flowering, its outer sepals are usually less than 12 millimeters (0.47 inches) long.
• Eremophila simulans subsp. megacalyx: This type has sepals that are oval or almost round. Its leaves and branches have both simple and glandular hairs. After flowering, its outer sepals are longer, about 15 to 20 millimeters (0.59 to 0.79 inches) long.

Where Eremophila simulans Lives

Each subspecies of Eremophila simulans grows in slightly different places within Western Australia.

Subspecies simulans is the most common type. You can find it on rocky hills and flat areas between Cue and the Weld Range. This area is part of the Murchison region, which is a large natural area.

Subspecies lapidensis prefers sandy soils. It grows between Sandstone and Meekatharra, also in the Murchison region.

Subspecies megacalyx grows in rocky and sandy clay soil. It can be found between the Murchison Settlement and Meekatharra, again in the Murchison region.

Protecting Eremophila simulans

The good news is that subspecies simulans and lapidensis are considered "not threatened." This means they are doing well and there are plenty of them.

However, subspecies megacalyx is a bit rarer. The Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife has classified it as "Priority Three." This means that not much is known about it, and it's only found in a few places. But it's not in immediate danger of disappearing. Scientists and conservationists keep an eye on plants like this to make sure they stay safe.

Growing Eremophila simulans in Gardens

This type of Eremophila plant has only recently started to be grown in gardens. Because of this, gardeners are still learning the best ways to care for it.

One way it has been grown is by grafting. This is a special technique where a part of the Eremophila simulans plant is joined onto the rootstock (the root system) of another plant, often a Myoporum. It seems to grow well in soil that drains water easily, and it likes either full sun or a bit of shade. The plant also appears to handle dry conditions well, meaning it's "drought tolerant." However, how it reacts to cold weather and frost is still being studied.