About Eremophila divaricata (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
Eremophila divaricata (F.Muell.) F.Muell., commonly called spreading emu bush, is a spreading shrub that grows 0.5 to 1.5 metres (2 to 5 feet) tall and up to 2 metres (7 feet) wide. It has stiff, tangled branches that often end in a sharp spine. Its leaves are arranged alternately along the branches, are erect, linear to oblong in shape, mostly 5 to 20 millimetres (0.2 to 0.8 inches) long and 1 to 4 millimetres (0.04 to 0.2 inches) wide, and are usually glabrous and mid-green. Flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a stalk 1 to 3 millimetres (0.04 to 0.1 inches) long. There are 5 overlapping, egg-shaped to lance-shaped sepals that measure 4 to 7.5 millimetres (0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. The petals are 22 to 28 millimetres (0.9 to 1 inch) long, joined at their lower end to form a tube. Petals are mauve to pinkish lilac, rarely white, with purple spots or streaks inside the tube. The outer surface of the tube and petal lobes is covered in fine hairs; the inner surface of the lobes is glabrous, and the inside of the tube is filled with long, soft hairs. Four stamens are fully enclosed within the petal tube. Flowering occurs mostly from September to April, and is followed by oval-shaped, pointed, hairy fruits that are 3.6 to 6 millimetres (0.1 to 0.2 inches) long. Eremophila divaricata subsp. divaricata grows on the floodplains of the Murray, Paroo, Darling and lower Murrumbidgee rivers in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. It often forms dense thickets in heavy clay soils within river red gum and black box plant communities. Subspecies callewatta is only known from a single location near Bourke. In horticulture, spreading emu bush has arching branches that often reach ground level. It is a tough, hardy plant that is resistant to disease, though it is vulnerable to predation by kangaroos. Even after harsh pruning, the shrub recovers well. It is easy to propagate from cuttings and can be grown in a range of soil types, including heavy clay. Its natural habitat indicates it tolerates long dry periods followed by occasional flooding, and it can survive severe frosts.
