''Adriana quadripartita'', the bitter bush, is a shrub in the family

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

. The species, which is endemic to southern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, has an erect open habit, growing to between 0.5 and 3 metres or more high. The lanceolate or ovate leaves are opposite, coarsely toothed and have a glabrous upper surface. They are 5 to 10 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide. The male flower spikes are up to 17 cm long. The female flowers, which occur on separate plants, appear in clusters. These are followed by ovoid capsules which are about 1 centimetre in diameter.

Forms

There are two recognised forms, one with wholly glabrous leaves and another pubescent form with leaves which are whitish tomentose on the underside.

Glabrous form

This form, also known as rare bitter-bush or ''Adriana quadripartita'' ''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

'', occurs in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

where it reaches its eastern limit at

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

heads. This form is listed as "threatened" in Victoria under the

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

Pubescent form

This form, also known as coast bitter-bush, is sometimes recognised as a species in its own right - ''Adriana klotzchii''. It occurs on sand dunes along the coast of South Australia and into Victoria as far east as

Wilsons Promontory Wilsons Promontory, is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria. South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia. Located at nearb ...

. In South Australia, flowers are mostly produced in spring but may appear year round. This form is a host plant of the bitter-bush blue butterfly (''Theclinesthes albocincta'').

Cultivation

The

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

can be propagated by cuttings. The pubescent form may be used as a protective screen planting against salt-spray in coastal areas.

Gallery

Adriana quadripartita (female) - Flickr - Kevin Thiele.jpg, kvinna Adriana quadripartita (male) - Flickr - Kevin Thiele.jpg, Male

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4685530 Acalypheae Malpighiales of Australia Flora of South Australia Rosids of Western Australia Flora of Victoria (Australia) Taxa named by Jacques Labillardière