''Eremophila granitica'', commonly known as granite poverty bush and thin-leaved poverty bush is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with sticky, narrow leaves and with lilac-coloured flowers.

Description

''Eremophila granitica'' is an erect, open or straggling shrub which grows to a height of between with sticky, wrinkled, shiny branches. The leaves are arranged alternately along the stems and are mostly long, wide, linear, sometimes with a few small teeth along the edges. They are also shiny and sticky and have small, raised glands on their surface. The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a flattened, S-shaped stalk long. There are 5 lance-shaped, sticky, shiny green to purple sepals, differing in size from each other, mostly long but often enlarging after flowering. The

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is a shade of lilac or pinkish-lilac on the outside and white, spotted with orange-brown inside. The outside of the tube and petal lobes are hairy but the inside of the lobes is glabrous and the inside of the tube is woolly. The centre part of the lower petal lobe closes the opening of the petal tube. The 4 stamens are fully enclosed in the petal tube. Flowering occurs from March to November and is followed by fruits which are dry, woody, oval-shaped with a pointed end, hairy and about long.

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described in 1899 by Spencer Le Marchant Moore and the description was published in ''

Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany The ''Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society'' is a scientific journal publishing original papers relating to the taxonomy of all plant groups and fungi, including anatomy, biosystematics, cytology, ecology, ethnobotany, electron microscopy, ...

''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''granitica'') is a Latin word meaning "granitic" or "living on granite soil", referring to the habitat of this species.

Distribution and habitat

''Eremophila granitica'' is widespread and common between

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

and Murchison in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie,

Gascoyne The Gascoyne region is one of the nine administrative regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northwest of Western Australia, and consists of the local government areas of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay and Upper Gascoyne. The Ga ...

Gibson Desert The Gibson Desert is a large desert in Western Australia, largely in an almost "pristine" state. It is about in size, making it the fifth largest desert in Australia, after the Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Tanami and Simpson deserts. The ...

, Murchison and Yalgoo biogeographic regions. It grows in sand, or clay on granite rocks, ironstone hills and flat areas.

Ecology

The native bee ''

Leioproctus lanceolatus ''Leioproctus'' is a genus in the plaster bee family Colletidae. Its members are primarily found in Australasia and temperate South America, and include the most common native bees in New Zealand. Species It includes the following species: ...

'' has been observed pollinating ''E. granitica''.

Conservation status

''Eremophila granitica'' is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government

Department of Parks and Wildlife The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and en ...

Use in horticulture

Some forms of this eremophila are rarely without flowers and some specimens have been in cultivation for more than 30 years. It is a hardy shrub and needs little attention. It can be propagated from cuttings or by

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...

but plants grown on their own roots need to be grown in light to medium soils. It can grow in full sun or partial shade, is both drought and frost tolerant and responds well to even harsh pruning when provided with water.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15592648 granitica Endemic flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1899 Taxa named by Spencer Le Marchant Moore