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COASTAL BITTER BUSH FACTS |
Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License
Common Name
Coastal Bitter Bush
Other Names
Rare Bitterbush
Description
Coastal Bitter Bush is an erect, open shrub to 2 m high with pale undersides to its lanceolate (spear-shaped) to ovate, serrated or coarsely toothed leaves; 5-10 cm long and 2-4 cm wide.
Plants are either male or female. Flowers are yellow to green. The male flower spikes are up to 17 cm long, while female flowers grow in clusters. Fruit is an ovoid capsule of about 1 cm diameter.
There are two forms of Rare Bitterbush; the glabrous (or hairless) form and a pubescent-hairy form, once known as Adriana klotzschii.
Habitat
Species of coastal habitats
Distribution
Native to Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria.
Growth Characteristics
Height (m): 1 - 2
Spread (m): 1 - 3
Soil Texture: sand, loam
Soil pH: acid soils, neutral soils, alkaliine soils
Frost Sensitivity: moderately sensitive
Minimum Rainfall (mm): 350
Flower Colour: red / brown
Flower Season: spring, summer
(source: SA State Flora Catalog)
Wildlife Interest
The larvae of a butterfly, known as the Bitter-bush Blue (Theclinesthes albocincta) feeds exclusively on Bitter-bush.
Classification
| Class: | Magnoliopsida | | Order: | Malpighiales | | Family: | Euphorbiaceae | | Genus: | Adriana | | Species: | quadripartita | | Common Name: | Coastal Bitter Bush |
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_-_Flickr_-_Kevin_Thiele.jpg "Adriana quadripartita")
_-_Flickr_-_Kevin_Thiele.jpg "Adriana quadripartita")