Thick-leaved emubush facts for kids

Eremophila crassifolia, often called the thick-leaved emubush or trim emubush, is a type of flowering plant. It is part of the figwort family, known as Scrophulariaceae. This plant grows only in Australia, from New South Wales through Victoria to southern parts of South Australia. It is a low, spreading bush with leaves that grow close together. Its flowers are shaped like bells and are usually a lovely purple color.

What Does It Look Like?

The Eremophila crassifolia is a small bush with branches that stand up or spread out. It can grow up to about 1 meter (3 feet) tall and wide. This plant often forms new shoots from its roots, creating a dense group of plants.

Its leaves grow very close together and overlap. They are thick, folded in half lengthwise, and shaped like an egg or almost round. Most leaves are about 4 to 9 millimeters (0.16 to 0.35 inches) long and 2 to 7 millimeters (0.08 to 0.28 inches) wide. They are light green and sometimes have purple edges.

Flowers and Fruits

The flowers grow one by one where the leaves meet the stem. They have a very short stalk. Each flower has five green, overlapping, spear-shaped parts called sepals, which are 3 to 5 millimeters (0.12 to 0.20 inches) long. These sepals have a few hairs along their edges.

The petals of the flower are 5.5 to 10.5 millimeters (0.22 to 0.41 inches) long. They are joined together for about half their length, forming a bell-shaped tube. The petals are usually purple, but sometimes they are white on the outside. Inside, they are white with purple spots. The outside of the flower tube and the petal tips are smooth, except for the bottom petal tip, which has clear hairs on its top surface. The inside of the tube is full of long, soft hairs.

The flower has four stamens (the parts that make pollen). Two of these stamens are completely hidden inside the petal tube, while the other two stick out a little bit. This plant flowers for most of the year. After flowering, it produces small, oval-shaped to almost round fruits, which are about 2 to 3 millimeters (0.08 to 0.12 inches) long.

How It Got Its Name

The first official description of this plant was made by Ferdinand von Mueller in 1859. He published his findings in a paper called Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania. Later, in 1870, Mueller changed the plant's name to Pholidia crassifolia. Then, in 1882, he gave it its current name, Eremophila crassifolia.

The second part of its name, crassifolia, comes from two Latin words. Crassus means "thick" or "stout," and folium means "leaf." So, crassifolia means "thick-leaved," which describes the plant's thick leaves.

Where It Grows

The thick-leaved emubush is common and found in many places in southern South Australia, including the Eyre Peninsula. It also grows eastward into western Victoria. A few of these plants have even been found in New South Wales, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of Wentworth.

Conservation Status

This plant, Eremophila crassifolia, is considered "not at risk." This means it is not in danger of disappearing and there are plenty of them growing in the wild.

Growing This Plant in Gardens

This type of emubush is one of the toughest plants in its group. It can handle frost and long periods without rain. It's easy to grow new plants from cuttings (small pieces of the plant). If you let it, it will send out new shoots from its roots and form a thick group of plants in your garden.