Eremophila bignoniiflora

Eremophila bignoniiflora, commonly known as Bignonia emu bush, creek wilga, dogwood, eurah, gooramurra, kurumbimi (Jingulu and Mudburra languages) and river argee is a plant in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the Northern Territory and all mainland states of Australia. It is a spreading, weeping shrub or small tree with long, strap-like leaves. Its leaves are among the longest in the Eremophila genus and the flowers are also relatively large, reflecting their adaptation to pollination by birds.

Bignonia emu bush
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Eremophila
Species:
E. bignoniiflora
Binomial name
Eremophila bignoniiflora
Synonyms[1]
  • Bondtia bignoniaeflora Kuntze Orthographical variantorth. var.
  • Bontia bignoniiflora (Benth.) Kuntze
  • Eremophila bignoniaeflora Barlow orth. var.
  • Eremophila bignoniflora F.Muell. orth. var.
  • Pholidia bignoniiflora (Benth.) Kraenzl.
  • Pholidia bignoniiflora (Benth.) Kraenzl.
  • Stenochilus bignoniiflorus Benth. orth. var.
  • Stenochilus bignoniiflorus Benth.

Description

Eremophila bignoniiflora is a spreading, weeping shrub or small tree, usually with many branches, growing to a height of 1–8 m (3–30 ft) and sometimes almost as wide. Older specimens have a thick trunk and pale brown, perforated bark. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches, mostly 110–160 mm (4–6 in) long, 4–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide, linear or lance-shaped, gradually tapering towards both ends. Sometimes the margins of the leaves have a few teeth near their end.[2][3][4][5][6]

The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a straight stalk usually 9–18 mm (0.4–0.7 in) long. The 5 sepals are green, overlap slightly, are egg-shaped, pointed, have a distinct central ridge and are mostly 5–6.5 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long. The petals are 20–30 mm (0.8–1 in) long, joined at their bases to form a tube. The petal tube is cream with crimson spots mostly on the lower petal lobe and inside the tube. There are 4 stamens which are about the same length as the petal tube. Flowers appear between May and August and are followed by fruit which are dry, oval-shaped and 20–30 mm (0.8–1 in) long.[2][3][4][5]

E. bignoniiflora shrub, approximately 3 metres tall, Fitzroy River floodplain, Central Queensland
E. bignoniiflora flower
E. bignoniiflora foliage

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described by botanist George Bentham in 1848 as Stenochilus bignoniiflorus. The description was published in Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia.[7] In 1859 Ferdinand von Mueller changed the name to Eremophila bignoniiflora.[8] The specific epithet (bignoniiflora) refers to the similarity of the flowers of this species to those in the family Bignoniaceae.[2]

Distribution

Eremophila bignoniiflora occurs extensively in New South Wales and Queensland but also in the far north-east of South Australia and the extreme north-west corner of Victoria. There are scattered populations in the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia between Derby and Halls Creek. The species occurs in floodplains surrounding major drainage systems and sometimes as scattered individuals in other places.

Ecology

The flowers of this species are bird pollinated.[2]

Conservation status

The species is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife[9] and as "vulnerable" in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.[10]

Uses

Indigenous use

Aboriginal people used gooramurra as a bush medicine and the antimicrobial activity of oils extracted from it showed it to be effective against the yeast Candida albicans and the bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis.[11]

Horticulture

Eremophila bignoniiflora is widely grown in gardens from the southern Victorian coast and Sydney to central Queensland and is suitable for use as a screening plant in dry locations or as a feature plant. It is difficult to propagate from cuttings but can be grown from seed or by grafting onto Myoporum. In grows best in full sun and well-drained soil but is a smaller, more open shrub in clay. It is very drought tolerant and recovers from frost, especially as a mature specimen.[6][12]

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References
  1. "Eremophila bignoniiflora". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  2. Chinnock, R.J. (Bob) (2007). Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae (1st ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. pp. 436–438. ISBN 9781877058165.
  3. Brown, Andrew; Buirchell, Bevan (2011). A field guide to the eremophilas of Western Australia (1st ed.). Hamilton Hill, W.A.: Simon Nevill Publications. p. 47. ISBN 9780980348156.
  4. Chinnock, Robert J. "Eremophila bignoniiflora". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: Plantnet. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  5. "Eremophila bignoniiflora". Lucid Central Keys. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  6. Boschen, Norma; Goods, Maree; Wait, Russell (2008). Australia's eremophilas : changing gardens for a changing climate. Melbourne: Bloomings Books. p. 34. ISBN 9781876473655.
  7. "Stenochilus bignoniiflorus". APNI. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  8. "Eremophila bignoniiflora". APNI. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  9. "Eremophila bignoniiflora". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  10. "Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 Threatened List December 2016" (PDF). Government of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  11. Sadgrove, Nicholas John; Hitchcock, Maria; Watson, Kenneth; Jones, Graham Lloyd (November 2012). "Chemical and Biological Characterization of Novel Essential Oils from Eremophila bignoniiflora (F. Muell) (Myoporaceae): a Traditional Aboriginal Australian Bush Medicine". Phytotherapy Research. 27 (10): 1508–1516. doi:10.1002/ptr.4889. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  12. "Eremophila bignoniiflora". Australian Native Plants Society Australia. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
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