Family: Scrophulariaceae
Eremophila
Citation:
R. Br., Prod. Fl. Nov. Holl. 518 (1810).
Derivation: Greek eremophiles, loving solitude or desert.
Synonymy: Not Applicable Common name: Eremophilas, emubushes.
Description:
Shrubs or small trees with vegetative and/or floral parts glabrous, hairy or scaly; leaves alternate or more rarely opposite or whorled, sessile or with a petiole-like base, entire or toothed.
Flowers 1-5 in axils, developing in succession; sepals 5 rarely 4, free or slightly fused in the basal part, or rarely forming a deep calyx tube, with lobes equal or unequal, often enlarging after flowering and veins becoming prominent; corolla 2-lipped, weakly to strongly zygomorphic; tube cylindrical or broad and bulbous at the base, often constricted above the ovary, sometimes dilating towards the distal end, tubular or campanulate, often curved; upper lip of 2 or 4 lobes; lower lip of 1 or 3 lobes and if 3-lobed the medial one often longer, variously dissected into the tube; stamens 4 or rarely 5, included or exserted; anthers reniform or sagittate; ovary 2-celled but normally becoming 4-celled by 2 placental septa; style curved or hooked at the apex.
Fruit dry or drupaceous and fleshy or rarely succulent, woody or rarely crustaceous, cylindrical, globular to top-shaped, smooth, ribbed or winged.
Distribution:
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About 180 species found mainly in the arid areas of the continent and most numerous in W.Aust.
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Biology:
Corolla red to yellow, green or brown, lacking well defined bands of spots or lines on the lobes or in the tube; base bulbous, constricted above the ovary then dilating obliquely; lobes variously dissected into the tube, lower lip or the lower medial lobe reflexed; filaments normally close to one another and parallel for most of their length; anthers exserted or at least extending to near the top of the upper lip. Species 1-15.
Taxonomic notes:
Note: E. bignoniifiora is intermediate between the two groups.
Key to Species:
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1. Staminal filaments close to one another, and parallel for most of their length, anthers exserted (except in E. bignoniiflora); corolla red to yellow or green to brown (Group A) |
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2. Leaves opposite; hairs on vegetative parts appressed, tongue-like, segmented |
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E. oppositifolia 13. |
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2. Leaves alternate and/or subopposite; hairs on vegetative parts variable, never tongue-like |
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3. Lobes of corolla obtuse |
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4. Glabrous shrub or tree; staminal filaments widely diverging with 1 pair of anthers at first exserted but eventually filaments curled and anthers included; corolla cream, rarely rose-coloured |
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E. bignoniiflora 2. |
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4. Shrubs or small trees with branches and/or leaves pubescent; anthers exserted, filaments never curled; corolla red or orange, rarely yellow |
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5. Sepals large, obovate, orange to red, imbricate; fruit ovoid to more or less conical, dry |
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E. neglecta 12. |
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5. Sepals small, ovate-triangular, valvate or imbricate at the base; fruit globular or subglobular, fleshy |
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E. longifolia 9. |
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3. Lobes of corolla acute |
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7. Leaves twisted at the base so that one leaf margin is directed towards the branch; corolla stellate-pubescent; fruit branched-pubescent |
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E. macgillivrayi 10. |
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7. Leaves not as above; corolla variable; fruit glabrous |
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8. Sepals valvate, lanceolate to oblanceolate |
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9. Leaves linear-subterete to linear-oblanceolate; sepals lanceolate, acute; corolla red, unspotted, glandular-pubescent |
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E. latrobei 8. |
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9. Leaves oblanceolate; sepals oblanceolate, obtuse; corolla pink, spotted, stellate-pubescent |
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E. forrestii 5. |
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8. Sepals imbricate, ovate to triangular |
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10. Leaves obovate or angular-obovate to suborbicular; small intricate shrub |
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E. hillii 7. |
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10. Leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate; large shrubs with erect or spreading branches |
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11. Sepals unequal, connate in the lower part, the 2 smallest sepals linear; corolla yellow |
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E. subfloccosa 15. |
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11. Sepals subequal, free to the base; corolla red |
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E. glabra 6. |
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6. Leaves glabrous or hairy but not tomentose |
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13. Leaves and branches glabrous; sepals ovate, obtuse, carmine; lobe of lower corolla lip truncate |
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E. alternifolia 1. |
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13. Leaves and branches with hairs; sepals variable; lobe of lower corolla lip acute |
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14. Branches with stellate or branched hairs |
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15. Sepals valvate, lanceolate |
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E. latrobei 8. |
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15. Sepals imbricate, ovate to obovate or oblanceolate |
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16. Pedicel shorter than the largest sepals; sepals triangular to ovate |
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17. Branches glandular-pubescent with longer branched hairs; flowers yellow |
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E. subfloccosa 15. |
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17. Branches stellate-pubescent; flowers red or more rarely yellow |
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E. glabra 6. |
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16. Pedicel longer than the largest sepals; sepals oblanceolate or if ovate then enlarging and prominently veined after flowering |
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18. Sepals oblanceolate, much exceeding the fruit; corolla yellowish-brown, glandular-pubescent E. serrulata 14 |
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18. Sepals ovate to triangular, not exceeding the fruit; corolla red, usually glabrous |
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E. decipiens 3. |
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14. Branches with simple hairs |
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19. Sepals greater than 10 mm long, enlarging after flowering; corolla red, yellow inside, unspotted |
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E. duttonii 4. |
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19. Sepals less than 10 mm long, not enlarging; corolla variable but not as above |
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E. maculata 11. |
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12. Leaf margins serrate or serrulate or with a few teeth towards the apex |
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20. Leaves serrulate; sepals oblanceolate, obtuse; corolla yellowish-brown |
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E. serrulata 14. |
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20. Leaves serrate; sepals ovate, acute to acuminate; corolla red or yellow |
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21. Branches with simple hairs only |
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E. duttonii 4. |
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21. Branches with branched or stellate hairs |
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22. Corolla yellow; branches with a mixture of glandular and longer branched hairs |
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E. subfloccosa 15. |
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22. Corolla red or more rarely yellow; branches with fine stellate hairs |
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E. glabra 6. |
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1. Staminal filaments in pairs, straight or widely diverging in the middle and approaching one another distally, included or very rarely one or both pairs longer than the corolla tube; corolla blue to purple or more rarely white (Group B, except E. bignoniiflora) |
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24. Leaves ovate to oblong, flattened, less than three times as long as broad |
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E. delisseri 23. |
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24. Leaves linear, terete or flattened, greater than five times as long as broad |
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26. Branches and leaves completely clothed in a persistent silvery scaly indumentum; fruit conical |
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E. scoparia 40. |
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26. Branches and leaves completely clothed in a scaly indumentum only when young; fruit cylindrical to subfusiform |
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E. dalyana 22. |
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25. Corolla stellate-pubescent |
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27. Leaves 10-16 mm long; ovary villous, hairs branched; fruit dry |
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E. verrucosa 42. |
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27. Leaves 15-40 mm long; ovary finely stellate-pubescent; fruit succulent |
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E. arachnoides 16. |
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28. Sepals connate forming a deep calyx tube |
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E. macdonnellii 32. |
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28. Sepals free or only fused at their base |
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29. Glabrous shrub; anthers 5; corolla cream, almost actinomorphic |
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E. deserti 24. |
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29. Glabrous or hairy shrub or small trees; anthers 4; corolla variously coloured, zygomorphic |
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31. Sepals 4; corolla stellate-pubescent; branch tips often spinescent |
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E. divaricata 25. |
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31. Sepals 5; corolla glabrous or with simple hairs; branch tips non-spinescent |
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32. Corolla glabrous outside; ovary glabrous or rarely hairy |
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33. Leaves linear to linear-lanceolate |
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34. Divaricate shrub; leaves linear; fruit ellipsoid-cylindrical |
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E. polyclada 37. |
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34. Non-divaricate shrubs; leaves linear-lanceolate; fruit ovoid to subglobular |
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35. Corolla cream often tinged pink above or rarely carmine, prominently spotted inside of lobes and tube; lobes obtuse; fruit more than 10 mm long |
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E. bignoniiflora 2. |
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35. Corolla white, unspotted; lobes acute; fruit less than 9 mm long |
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E. santalina 39. |
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33. Leaves ovate to obovate or orbicular |
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36. Sepals valvate; leaves glabrous, margins serrulate |
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E. barbata 17. |
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36. Sepals imbricate; leaves glabrous or hairy, margins entire |
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37. Shrub spinescent; leaves orbicular to obovate, normally less than 4 mm long; fruit subglobular, glabrous or with a few hairs at the apex |
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E. parvifolia 35. |
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37. Shrub non-spinescent; leaves obovate to oblanceolate, normally more than 4 mm long; fruit ovoid-conical, villous |
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E. weldii 43. |
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32. Corolla hairy outside; ovary hairy |
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38. Leaves obovate to oblanceolate |
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E. platythamnos 36. |
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40. Flowers cream; branches and leaves prominently etched; fruit hirsute, 2-3.5 mm long . E. interstans 31 |
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40. Flowers lilac to purplish-pink, rarely white; branches and leaves smooth; fruit villous, 3.5-5 mm long |
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E. sturtii 41. |
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41. Leaves sparsely dentate; outer sepals ovate, inner lanceolate; flowers 1 or 2 per axil |
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E. gibsonii 29. |
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41. Leaves entire; sepals oblong to oblanceolate or spathulate; flowers 2-8 per axil |
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E. paisleyi 34. |
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42. Branches with branched or stellate hairs |
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43. Shrub divaricate, spinescent; leaves oblong to linear-oblanceolate, glabrous; stellate hairs on branches usually restricted to just above the leaf base |
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E. divaricata 25. |
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43. Shrubs intricate or erect, non-spinescent; leaves obovate, lanceolate or elliptic, with simple, irregularly branched or stellate hairs; hairs on branches not restricted to above the leaf base |
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44. Leaves obovate to spathulate, stellate-pubescent; sepals valvate; corolla stellate-pubescent |
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E. obovata 33. |
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44. Leaves lanceolate to elliptic, with simple and irregularly branched hairs; sepals imbricate; corolla with simple hairs |
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E. clarkei 20. |
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42. Branches with simple hairs |
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46. Leaves linear-subterete; branches and leaves prominently etched; sepals elliptic to oblanceolate; corolla cream, 6-10 mm long |
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E. interstans 31. |
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46. Leaves linear-flattened; branches and leaves not etched; sepals linear-lanceolate; corolla lilac to purple, 20-35 mm long |
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E. gilesii 30. |
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48. Leaves appressed to branches, oblong to inversely heart-shaped; fruit subcylindrical |
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E. gibbifolia 28. |
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48. Leaves spreading, ovate to obovate or orbicular; fruit ovoid, subglobular |
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49. Branches glandular-pubescent |
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E. willsii 44. |
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49. Branches eglandular-pubescent |
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50. Leaves thick and fleshy, ovate, obovate or orbicular, entire; sepals lanceolate to triangular; corolla less than 10 mm long; fruit 2-3 mm long |
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E. crassifolia 21. |
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50. Leaves thin, obovate to oblanceolate, serrate or entire; sepals ovate to ovate-oblong; corolla more than 12 mm long; fruit 5.5-6.5 mm long |
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E. platythamnos 36. |
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51. Branches and leaves completely clothed in a grey appressed tomentum |
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E. rotundifolia 38. |
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51. Branches and leaves not as above |
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52. Branches with eglandular hairs |
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53. Leaves elliptic to lanceolate, more than 25 mm long; pedicel 8-30 mm |
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E. freelingii 27. |
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53. Leaves not as above, less than 20 mm long; pedicel to 3 mm |
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54. Sepals villous outside; leaves linear-oblanceolate to spathulate; branches with stiff milky-white hairs |
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E. battii 18. |
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54. Sepals glabrous outside; leaves obovate to oblanceolate; branches without milky-white hairs |
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E. behriana 19. |
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52. Branches glandular-hairy |
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55. Leaves less than 6.5 mm long |
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E. parvifolia 35. |
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55. Leaves greater than 10 mm long |
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56. Leaves aromatic, ovate to lanceolate; sepals lanceolate; pedicel 10-23 mm long |
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E. elderi 26. |
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56. Leaves non-aromatic, elliptic to obovate; outer sepals ovate, inner lanceolate; pedicel less than 10 mm long |
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E. willsii 44. |
Author:
Not yet available
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