Harlequin fuchsia bush

Description

Eremophila linearis is a glabrous shrub with sticky, shiny leaves and branches due to the presence of large amounts of resin. It grows to a height of between 1 and 4 m (3 and 10 ft) and its branches are thin with persistent leaf bases. The leaves are arranged alternately and densely clustered near the ends of the branches. They are mostly 30–40 mm (1–2 in) long, 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide, linear to lance-shaped and covered with small raised resin glands. The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a hairy stalk which is usually 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) long. There are 5 sticky, overlapping, glabrous sepals which are mostly 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long but which enlarge to 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) after flowering. The petals are 25–35 mm (0.98–1.4 in) long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube. The tube is bright red to orange-red on the top and yellow below and inside the tube. The outside of the petal tube usually has scattered hairs but the inside surface of the lobes is glabrous while there are some long hairs inside the tube. The 4 stamens extend beyond the end of the petal tube. Flowering occurs between March and December and the fruits which follow are dry, ovoid to conical in shape with a pointed end and a papery covering and are 7.5–13 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long.