Miners poverty bush facts for kids

Eremophila metallicorum, often called miners poverty bush, is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the figwort family and is found only in Western Australia. This plant is a small shrub with thin leaves and pretty lilac-colored flowers that grow on a special S-shaped stem.

About the Miners Poverty Bush

Eremophila metallicorum is a small shrub with many tangled branches. It usually grows to be less than 0.8 m (30 in) (about 31 inches) tall.

Leaves and Stems

The leaves grow one after another along the branches. They are thick and shaped like thin lines or almost like cylinders. Most leaves are about 5.5–11 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and 0.7–2.1 mm (0.03–0.08 in) wide. They have small raised bumps called glands. The leaves are also sticky and shiny because of a natural, sticky substance called resin.

Flowers and How They Look

The flowers grow one by one where the leaves meet the stem. Each flower sits on a sticky, S-shaped stalk that is 9.5–18 mm (0.4–0.7 in) long.

• There are five overlapping, hairy leaf-like parts called sepals. These sepals are green to reddish-brown or purple and are about 8–14 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long.
• The petals are 15–25 mm (0.6–1 in) long. They join together at the bottom to form a tube shape.
• The outside of the petal tube is pale to deep lilac.
• The inside is white with lilac or dark reddish-purple spots.
• The outside of the tube and the petal tips are hairy.
• The inside of the tips is smooth (called glabrous).
• The inside of the tube is full of soft, woolly hairs.
• The four stamens (the parts that make pollen) are completely hidden inside the petal tube.

Flowering and Fruits

This plant mainly flowers from April to October. After the flowers, oval-shaped fruits grow. These fruits are greyish-white, hairy, and about 6.5–8 mm (0.26–0.31 in) long.

Plant Name and History

The miners poverty bush was first officially described by a scientist named Spencer Le Marchant Moore in 1899. He published his description in a science journal.

The second part of the plant's scientific name, metallicorum, is a Latin word. It means "of the miners." This name refers to the mining area north of Leonora where the first example of this plant (called the type specimen) was found.

Where the Plant Grows

Miners poverty bush is common in areas near Kalgoorlie, Leinster, Paynes Find, and Laverton. These places are in different natural areas of Western Australia, including the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Gibson Desert, Murchison, and Yalgoo regions.

It likes to grow in red-brown clay soil in mulga woodlands. You can often find it along natural water paths or in flat areas.

Conservation Status

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife says that Eremophila metallicorum is "not threatened." This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.

Growing Miners Poverty Bush

This tough shrub has thin, spread-out leaves, which makes its blue flowers really stand out. It's a great plant for gardens!

• You can grow new plants from cuttings (small pieces of the plant).
• You can also grow it by grafting it onto Myoporum rootstock (joining it to the roots of another plant).
• It can grow in most types of soil, even clay.
• It prefers a sunny, open spot.
• This plant is very good at handling dry conditions (it's drought tolerant).
• It can also handle light frosts (when it gets a little bit cold and icy).
• You should lightly prune it (trim it) each year. This helps keep the plant looking neat and compact.