Eremophila maculata - Spotted emu bush

The Eremophila maculata is part of a group of small evergreen Australian shrubs curiously called Emu Bushes, very drought-resistant but frost-sensitive. It forms a wide and dense ball and has fine light green foliage. In spring, sometimes also in summer, delicate and pretty flowers with spots bloom among the foliage. Most often pink, they can be cherry, orange, or mauve depending on the plants. It is a very good plant for coastal gardens, especially those on the Mediterranean coast, which it enjoys the bright sun. It can also be grown in large pots, which allows the plant to be protected in winter.

The Eremophila maculata is a shrub of the Scrophulariaceae or Myoporaceae family, depending on the classification. Eremophiles are bushes native to Australian regions with mild winters but hot and arid summers. This species, E. maculata, is the most widespread in nature and one of the most cultivated in gardens. It is found in Western and Southern Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. It is a spreading shrub, wider than it is tall, densely branched, which rarely exceeds 1m in height and 1.30m in width in our climates. The leaves of this shrub can have a variable shape (almost thread-like to almost circular), and the flowers can have different colours. The inside of the corolla is often spotted. The stems are upright, brittle, adorned with narrow, smooth, light green leaves. They are close together and arranged alternately on the branches. The spotted eremophila foliage persists in winter. The main flowering occurs in April-May, and sometimes again in summer. Solitary, tubular flowers, 4-5cm long, with 5 unequal lobes appear at the leaf axils. Each is carried by an S-shaped petiole. The inside of the corolla is hairy, and it releases 4 long stamens. After pollination, small dry, woody fruits with a beak form, which are difficult to spot in the vegetation. Eremophila seeds are very difficult to germinate because their dormancy requires specific conditions.

The Eremophila maculata should thrive in all gardens. It has a great effect in beds, rockeries, on slopes, but also as a low hedge to border a pathway, for example. Create a persistent, staggered flowering bed by combining the foliage and scents of lavenders (blue, white, pink), rosemary (creeping or upright), Atriplex, Teucrium fruticans Azureum, Leucophyllum frutescens, rockroses, catmints, santolines, and shrubby wormwoods. Its association with Polygala myrtifolia and creeping evergreen ceanothus is also very successful.

The genus name Eremophila comes from the Greek eremos (desert) and phileo (to love). It defines this group of shrubs that are mainly found in desert regions.