Fairy fan-flower
Scaevola aemula cultivated in Heidelberg Botanic Garden
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Goodeniaceae
Genus: Scaevola
Species:
S. aemula
Binomial name
Scaevola aemula
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms
  • Lobelia aemula (R.Br.) Kuntze
  • Merkusia sinuata (R.Br.) de Vriese
  • Scaevola sinuata R.Br

Scaevola aemula, commonly known as the fairy fan-flower or common fan-flower,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae. It has mostly egg-shaped leaves and blue, mauve or white fan-shaped flowers. It grows in New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.

Description

Scaevola aemula is a mat-forming, perennial herb that grows up to 50 cm high with brown, coarsely hairy, terete stems. The leaves are elliptic to egg-shaped tapering near the base, sessile, edges toothed, up to 10–88 mm (0.39–3.46 in) long and 4–31 mm (0.16–1.22 in) wide, decreasing in size near the flowers. The fan-shaped flowers are white, blue or mauve with a yellow centre are borne on spikes up to 24 cm (9.4 in) long, corolla 17–25 mm (0.67–0.98 in) long, flattened hairs on the outside and bearded inside and the wings 1–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) wide. The bracts are small, leaf-like, bracteoles lance-shaped and 4.5–7 mm (0.18–0.28 in) long. Flowering occurs mostly from August to October and the fruit are a rounded, wrinkled drupe to 4.5 mm long and covered in soft, short hairs.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Scaevola aemula was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae.[5][6]The specific epithet (aemula) means "striving after".[7]

Cultivation

The species is thought to be the most commonly cultivated of the genus Scaevola, and a large number of cultivars have been developed. Most of these are mat-forming to a height of 12 cm and spreading up to 1 metre in width. It prefers a sunny or partially shaded, well-drained position and tolerates salt spray and periods of drought. Pruning and pinching of tip growth may be carried out to shape the plant. Propagation is from cuttings or by layering.[8][9]

Distribution and habitat

Fairy fan-flower grows in dry sclerophyll forest mostly on sandy soils from the Eyre Peninsula, through Victoria to Mount Warning in New South Wales.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Scaevola aemula". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Scaevola aemula". eFloraSA. State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  3. ↑ "Scaevola aemula". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Scaevola aemula". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "Scaevola aemula". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  6. ↑ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et insulae Van-Diemen, exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis 1802-1805. London. p. 584. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  7. ↑ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 128. ISBN 9780958034180.
  8. ↑ "Scaevola aemula". Plant Guides. Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  9. ↑ Seale, Alan (1988). Garden Companion to Native Plants. Australia: Reed Books. ISBN 0730101878.
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