Harlequin fuchsia bush

Appearance

''Eremophila duttonii'' is a shrub or small tree growing to a height of between 1 and 3.5 m with branches that are rough due to old leaf bases, hairy, shiny and sticky due to the presence of resin. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches, sometimes clustered near the ends of them and are mostly 30–40 mm long, 3–5 mm wide, linear to lance-shaped, tapering towards the ends and sticky.

The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a stalk 10–20 mm long. There are 5 overlapping, sticky, egg-shaped to elliptic sepals which are 10–15 mm long. The petals are 25–35 mm long and joined at their lower end to form a tube. The top of the petal tube is red to orange, fading to yellowish-green below and inside the tube. Occasionally the petal tube is all yellow. The tube often has a few short hairs inside and out and is sticky on the outside. The 4 stamens extend beyond the end of the tube. Flowering occurs from June to September and is followed by fruits which are dry, oval to cone-shaped with a pointed end and are 7.5–13 mm long.

Naming

''Eremophila duttonii'' was first formally described in 1858 by Ferdinand von Mueller in ''Quarterly Journal and Transactions of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria''. The specific epithet honours Francis Dutton, who was twice Premier of South Australia.

Distribution

The most westerly distribution of ''Eremophila duttonii'' is the Warburton area of Western Australia. It occurs in southern Northern Territory, South Australia, south-western Queensland and western New South Wales as far east as Broken Hill. It grows in red-brown sandy soils on plains and hills.

Habitat

The most westerly distribution of ''Eremophila duttonii'' is the Warburton area of Western Australia. It occurs in southern Northern Territory, South Australia, south-western Queensland and western New South Wales as far east as Broken Hill. It grows in red-brown sandy soils on plains and hills.

Uses

Study of six species of eremophilas showed that ''E. duttonii'' had the highest antimicrobial potency, especially against gram-positive bacteria, including those that are resistant to the antibiotics meticillin and vancomycin. In another study, two diterpenes were found to be responsible for the antimicrobial activity of this species.

Cultural

The species is seldom seen in cultivation. As it is difficult to propagate from both seed and cuttings, grafting on to rootsock of ''Myoporum'' species is often undertaken to produce new plants. It is slow growing and prefers a dry, well-drained sunny position. It can withstand light frosts and is very drought tolerant.