Small leaf emubush (Eremophila parvifolia)
Description
Eremophila parvifolia is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a shrub which has small, usually egg-shaped leaves and blackish flower buds which open to purple flowers which are white with purple spots inside. There are two subspecies, both of which are found in Western Australia and one which is also found in South Australia.Eremophila parvifolia is a spreading shrub which, depending on subspecies, is either a low shrub with spiny branch tips growing to a height of 50 to 70 cm (20 to 30 in) or a tall shrub, lacking spines and growing to 0.5 to 1.2 m (2 to 4 ft). Its young branches and leaves are slightly sticky due to the presence of resin. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches and are thick, egg-shaped to almost round, mostly 1–5 mm (0.04–0.2 in) long, 0.7–1.5 mm (0.03–0.06 in) wide and are often tinged purple.The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a straight, mostly glabrous stalk 1–2.2 mm (0.04–0.09 in) long. There are 5 overlapping, green or blackish-purple, egg-shaped, tapering sepals which are 1.5–3.3 mm (0.06–0.1 in) long. The petals are 6.5–10.5 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The flower buds are blackish brown but the open to purple on the outside and white with purple spots inside the tube. The petal tube is glabrous apart from the inside of the tube and the lower petal lobe which have long, soft hairs. The 4 stamens extend beyond the petal tube. Flowering time depends on subspecies. The fruits are woody, cone-shaped to almost spherical and 2.5–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Lamiales
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Family: Scrophulariaceae
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Genus: Eremophila
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