Eremophila duttonii F.Muell.

Growth Form

Eremophila duttonii F.Muell. is a shrub or small tree that grows to between 1 and 3.5 metres (3 to 10 feet) in height.

Branch Characteristics

Its branches are rough from persistent old leaf bases, and are hairy, shiny, and sticky due to resin.

Leaf Arrangement and Size

Leaves are arranged alternately along branches, sometimes clustered near branch tips, are mostly 30–40 mm (1–2 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide.

Leaf Shape and Texture

They are linear to lance-shaped, taper towards their ends, and are sticky.

Flower Stalks

Flowers are borne singly in leaf axils, on a stalk 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) long.

Sepal Characteristics

There are 5 overlapping, sticky, egg-shaped to elliptic sepals that measure 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long.

Petal Structure

Petals are 25–35 mm (0.98–1.4 in) long, joined at their lower end to form a tube.

Petal Coloration

The top of the petal tube is red to orange, fading to yellowish-green below and inside the tube; occasionally the entire petal tube is yellow.

Petal Surface Features

The tube usually has a few short hairs on both its inner and outer surfaces, and is sticky on the outside.

Stamen Characteristics

The 4 stamens extend beyond the end of the petal tube.

Flowering Period and Fruits

Flowering occurs from June to September, and is followed by dry, oval to cone-shaped fruits with a pointed end, which are 7.5–13 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long.

Western Distribution Range

The westernmost distribution of Eremophila duttonii is the Warburton area of Western Australia.

Broader Distribution Range

It also occurs in southern Northern Territory, South Australia, south-western Queensland, and western New South Wales as far east as Broken Hill.

Habitat

It grows in red-brown sandy soils on plains and hills.

Common Name and Medicinal Use Context

The Arrente people, who call this plant aherre-intenhe, collect its leaves for medicinal use.

Skin Condition Treatments

These uses include treating skin complaints, including those caused by the scabies mite.

Additional Medicinal Uses

The leaves are also used as a gargle for sore throats, and to treat painful eye and ear conditions.

Antimicrobial Potency

A study of six eremophila species found that E. duttonii has the highest antimicrobial potency, especially against gram-positive bacteria, including strains resistant to the antibiotics meticillin and vancomycin.

Antimicrobial Compounds

A separate study identified two diterpenes as the compounds responsible for this species' antimicrobial activity.

Cultivation Rarity

Eremophila duttonii is rarely found in cultivation.

Propagation Methods

It is difficult to propagate from both seed and cuttings, so grafting onto the rootstock of Myoporum species is often done to produce new plants.

Cultivation Requirements

It is slow growing, prefers a dry, well-drained, sunny position, can tolerate light frosts, and is very drought tolerant.