Eremophila hygrophana

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Eremophila is derived from the Ancient Greek ἐρῆμος (erêmos) meaning "lonely" or "desert" and φίλος (phílos) meaning “dear" or "beloved” alluding to the species' adaptation to arid environments
The specific epithet (hygrophana) is derived from Ancient Greek words meaning "changing colour during the drying process"

Flowers:

The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils and lack a stalk
There are 5 green, hairy, triangular to lance-shaped sepals which are 6.5–12 mm long
The petals are 20–30 mm long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube
The petal tube is pale violet to purple on the outside and paler, spotted purple inside the tube
As the flowers age, their colour changes to dark reddish brown
The outside of the tube and petal lobes are hairy but the inside of the lobes is glabrous and the inside of the tube is woolly
The 4 stamens are fully enclosed in the petal tube
Flowering occurs from July to December

Fruit:

Leaves:

Stem & branches:

Roots:

Habit:

Habitat:

Distribution:

Mostly common in Western Australia where it is found from near Rawlinna to Mount Magnet, growing in the Gibson Desert, Little Sandy Desert, Murchison, Nullarbor Plain and Yalgoo biogeographic regions
It is also found in the extreme central west of South Australia
A single record from the Northern Territory may be a new, as yet undescribed species

Additional notes:

Taxonomy and naming
- Eremophila hygrophana was first formally described by Robert Chinnock in 2007 and the description was published in Eremophila and Allied Genera: A Monograph of the Plant Family Myoporaceae
Use in horticulture
- This small eremophila is one of the most attractive in cultivation with its sometimes golden, furry leaves and large purple flowers which are present through most months
- It grows particularly well in Melbourne. It, especially the cultivar "Blue Bells", is well known in gardens in the drier parts of the United States
- It can be propagated from cuttings taken in warm weather, or by grafting onto Myoporum rootstock
- Grafted plants perform better in heavy soils
- It is tolerant of drought but not humidity so a sunny, open position is preferred
- It is tolerant of light frost, although may need a light pruning to remove frost damaged branches

Sources of information:

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