Eremaea violacea

Eremaea violacea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is low, spreading shrub with narrow, prickly leaves and which bears violet-coloured flowers on short side branches.

Eremaea violacea
Eremaea violacea growing in Lesueur National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eremaea
Species:
E. violacea
Binomial name
Eremaea violacea
Synonyms

Melaleuca kybeliona Craven & R.D.Edwards

Description

Eremaea violacea is a spreading to prostrate shrub which grows to a height of about 1.0 metre (3 ft) and which has its younger branches densely covered with fine hairs. The leaves are linear to narrow egg-shaped, 7–12 millimetres (0.3–0.5 in) long, 0.4–1.2 millimetres (0.02–0.05 in) wide, flat or circular in cross section, depending on subspecies. (The two subspecies can be distinguished from each other by their cross section.)[1]

As suggested by its name, the flowers are violet coloured and are on the ends of short side branches off longer ones which grew earlier in the previous year. The flowers occur in groups of up to 7. There are 5 sepals which are usually hairy on the outside surface and 5 petals 2.3–4.5 millimetres (0.09–0.2 in) long. The stamens are arranged in 5 bundles, each containing 24 to 32 stamens. Flowering occurs from September to October and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules. The capsules are 5–8 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) long, 6–7.5 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in) wide, cup shaped to almost spherical and are smooth on the outer surface.[1]

Eremaea violacea habit

Taxonomy and naming

Eremaea violacea was first formally described in 1878 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.[2][3] The specific epithet (violacea) is from the Latin violaceus meaning "having a purple colour".[4]

There are two subspecies:

  • Eremaea violacea F.Muell. var. violacea has flat leaves and is restricted to areas between the Irwin and Greenough rivers;[5]
  • Eremaea violacea subsp. raphiophylla Hnatiuk has long, thin cylindrical leaves and occurs between the Arrowsmith and Hill rivers.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Eremaea violacea is found in the Irwin district[1] in the Geraldton Sandplains and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions.[7] It grows in sand, sandy clay or soils derived from laterite on sandplains, ridges and roadsides.[8]

Conservation

Both subspecies of Eremaea violacea are classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.[7]

References
  1. Hnatiuk, Roger J. (1998). "A revision of the genus Eremaea (Myrtaceae)". Nuytsia. 9 (2): 162–167. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  2. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1878). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae (Volume 11). Melbourne. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  3. "Eremaea violacea". APNI. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  4. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 153.
  5. "Eremaea violacea subsp. violacea". FloraBase. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  6. "Eremaea violacea subsp. raphiophylla". FloraBase. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  7. "Eremaea violacea". FloraBase. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  8. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 363. ISBN 0646402439.
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