Eremophila mitchellii
| False sandalwood | |
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| E. mitchellii habit | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
| Genus: | Eremophila |
| Species: | E. mitchellii |
| Binomial name | |
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Eremophila mitchellii Benth. |
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| Synonyms | |
Eremophila mitchellii, known commonly as false sandalwood and several other names, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a glabrous large shrub or small tree with flaky bark, white or cream-coloured flowers and is capable of root suckering. It is widespread and common in New South Wales and Queensland where it is sometimes a serious pest of grazing land, however essential oils from the plant have been shown to have valuable properties and have been commercially exploited.
Eremophila mitchellii is a glabrous large shrub with a few main stems, or small tree which sometimes grows to a height of 10 m (30 ft) high although more regularly in the range 2 to 6 m (7 to 20 ft). It has light grey bark which often flakes into small pieces, sometimes curling at the edges. The branches and leaves are glabrous and some parts are often sticky due to the presence of resin and the leaves are aromatic when crushed. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches and are linear to lance-shaped, mostly 24–55 mm (0.9–2 in) long, 2–5.5 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide, slightly sticky, have a distinct mid-vein on the lower surface and often have a hooked tip.
The flowers are borne in groups of 2 or 3 in leaf axils on glabrous, sticky stalks 4.5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long. There are 5 white to cream-coloured, sometimes pinkish sepals which are lance-shaped with a rounded end and mostly 4–9.5 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long. The petals are 10–18 mm (0.4–0.7 in) long and joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is usually white or cream-coloured, sometimes pale pink and has spots inside the tube. The petal tube is mostly glabrous except for the inside of the tube which is filled with long soft hairs. Two of the stamens are fully enclosed in the tube while the other two sometimes extend slightly past its end. Flowering mainly occurs mainly from September to November, sometimes earlier and is followed by fruits which are oval-shaped, usually 4–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and have a crusty covering.
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Wikipedia