Fruits/Seeds
Fruit ovoid to conical, 5 – 9 mm long and 2 – 4.5 mm diameter, dry, woody, beaked and splitting into 4 segments at apex.
Field Guide
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Spreading Emu-bush
A spreading shrub with stiff, tangled branches often ending in sharp spines. Grows to 0.5 - 1.5 m tall and 2 m wide.
Leaves
Leaves are arranged alternately along branches. They are erect, linear to oblong in shape and are generally 5 - 20 mm long. They are smooth and without hairs and are mid-green in colour.
Flowers
3.5 – 6.5 mm long and 0.8 – 2 mm wide, mauve to lilac-coloured, bell-shaped, spotted, found solitary at the bases of the leaves. The flower's 4 stamens (pollen-bearing) are fully enclosed in the petal tube.
What to Observe
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First fully open single flower
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Full flowering (record all days)
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End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)
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No flowering
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Fruits/seeds (record all days)
When and Where
When To Look
- Flowering occurs from September to April (mostly from November)
- Fruiting follows flowering
Where To Look
- Occurs mainly in River Red Gum and Black Box communities on heavy clay soils of riverflood plains
What Else?
Similar Species
Spotted Emu Bush (E. maculata) has flowers with or without spots. Its stamens (pollen-bearing anthers) extend outside of the tube.
