Eremophila nivea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Silky eremophila | |
|---|---|
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| Eremophila nivea in Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
| Genus: | Eremophila |
| Species: | E. nivea |
| Binomial name | |
| Eremophila nivea | |
Eremophila nivea, commonly known as silky eremophila, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. In nature it is a rare shrub with hairy branches and leaves, and blue, purple or violet flowers.
Eremophila nivea is an erect shrub which grows to a height of between 0.8–1.6 m (3–5 ft). Its branches, leaves and sepals are covered with a layer of soft white to greyish matted hairs giving the plant a silvery-greyish appearance. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches and are linear in shape, mostly 8–18 mm (0.3–0.7 in) long, 1.5–2.5 mm (0.06–0.1 in) wide and have a covering of woolly hairs.[2][3]
The flowers are borne singly or in pairs in leaf axils on woolly stalks 2–5.5 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long. There are 5 overlapping, triangular to lance-shaped, tapering sepals which are 14–21 mm (0.6–0.8 in) long and have purplish-black tips. The petals are 15–23 mm (0.6–0.9 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is lilac-coloured, white with yellow-brown spots inside. The outer surface of the tube and both surfaces of the lobes are glabrous but the inside of the tube is filled with long, soft hairs. The 4 stamens are fully enclosed in the petal tube. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruits which follow are dry, woody, oval-shaped with a pointed end and 4.5–6 mm (0.18–0.24 in) long.[2][3]
Taxonomy
The first formal description of this species was published in 1986 by botanist Robert Chinnock and the description was published in Nuytsia.[4] The specific epithet (nivea) is a Latin word meaning "snowy" or "snow-white"[5] in reference to the colour of the hairs on the branches and leaves of this species.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Eremophila nivea is only known in the wild from near Three Springs in the Avon Wheatbelt and Yalgoo biogeographic regions.[6] Only a few populations are known, some of which are in danger of roadworks as they occur on road verges.[2] It grows in sandy clay and clay-loam.[3]