EREMOPHILA longifolia 100g

Eremophila longifolia is an evergreen rounded shrub to a small tree with pink to brownish red tubular flowers 2-3 cm long and occurs in clusters of 1 to 5 in leaf axils, and may appear along branches. Some flowers are present all year, with profuse flowering from spring to early summer.

Plants form a habit of drooping branches and pendulous grey-green leaves up to 20 cm long, narrow, and tapered at both ends.

Prefers well-drained soil in an open sunny position, drought and frost resistant.

Occurs throughout Australia except for the Northern Territory.

Grow notes:

Propagation of seed of all Eremophila species is can be tricky as the seed is small and contained in a woody fruit. One method is carefully splitting the fruits into halves and then quarters to exact the seed.

The following method of extracting seeds has been reported as being effective:

1. Place the dried fruits in a small engineer's vice (one with the metal jaws) such that either end of the nut is pressed against the jaws (use forceps to align the fruit, if necessary).
2. Tighten the vice until the nut cracks - usually, the seeds will drop out intact.

Seed can then be sown by normal seed-raising methods. The optimum germinating temperature is around 18-22°C

1. Sow seed on the surface of a porous seed-raising mix.
2. Sprinkle a light covering of the seed-raising mix over the seed if required to hold the seed in place. 
3. Water with a fine mist spray to avoid disturbance of the seed.
4. Place in a warm shaded or semi-shaded position to avoid dying out.
5. Keep warm & moist, and avoid drying out or waterlogging the growing mix.

Germination time can vary from 21 days to several months.

General note: Seeds of many natives are dormant and require specific conditions or pre-treatment for germination.
Do not be too hasty to discard seed that does not germinate, seeds will often lay dormant until the conditions are similar to their natural requirements for germination to occur. Containers put to one side will often surprise long after they were discarded.