About Scaevola ramosissima (Sm.) K.Krause
Scaevola ramosissima, commonly known as purple fan-flower, is a scrambling herb that grows up to 40 cm (16 in) high. It has horizontal stems covered in long, upright, stiff, simple and glandular hairs. Its leaves are linear to oblong-lance shaped, 2–10 cm (0.79–3.94 in) long and 2–10 mm (0.079–0.394 in) wide, mostly with pointed tips. Both the upper and lower leaf surfaces are hairy; leaf margins are either smooth or toothed, leaves are usually curved under or upward, and are sessile. Flowers grow on a pedicel up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long, with linear shaped bracteoles that reach up to 2.5 cm (0.98 in) long. The corolla is purple to pale violet, 1.5–2.5 cm (0.59–0.98 in) long, with stiff, upright hairs on its outer surface and a beard of hairs on the inside, and wings 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) wide. Flowering occurs from August to March. The fruit is ellipsoid shaped, about 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long, with wrinkles and longitudinal ribs, and is covered in stiff, upright hairs. This species typically grows in sandy or gravelly soils in sclerophyll forests and heath. Its distribution ranges from the Blackdown Tableland in Queensland, through New South Wales east of the Blue Mountains and Budawang Range, to areas of Victoria south of the ranges and east of Morwell.
