TAR BUSH
Eremophila glabra
Plant Family
Myoporaceae
Alternative Common Names
black fuchsia, fuchsia bush emubush dwarf emubush, common emubush, poverty bush, native cumquat.
Extremely variable shrub ranging from a low prostrate form with a dense covering of short hairs to an ascending-erect form about 1.5m high with hairless leaves. All forms may be very sticky to the touch, particularly on the younger parts.
Leaves - alternate, bright green or almost blackish, 15-50mm long, 1.5-8mm wide, shortly pointed, narrowed at the base, sometimes toothed towards the tip.
Flowers - yellow, orange or reddish borne singly on short stalks in the leaf axils, tubular, hairless or slightly downy outside, 25-30 mm long, slightly curved, expanded into an upper lip of 4 short pointed lobes and lower lip of 1 narrow oblong lobe deeply cut into the tube and curved strongly downwards.
Fruit - more or less succulent ovoid drupe, to 10mm long.
Flowering most of the year.
Habitat
Common in mallee communities, scattered throughout bimble box, belah-rosewood, and mulga communities; mainly on red earths, calcareous red earths and solonized brown soils.
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