''Adriana quadripartita'', the bitter bush, is a shrub in the family

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae (), the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of Euphorbia, the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', ar ...

. The species, which is endemic to southern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, has an erect open habit, growing to between 0.5 and 3 metres or more high. The lanceolate or ovate leaves are opposite, coarsely toothed and have a glabrous upper surface. They are 5 to 10 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide. The male flower spikes are up to 17 cm long. The female flowers, which occur on separate plants, appear in clusters. These are followed by ovoid capsules which are about 1 centimetre in diameter.

Forms

There are two recognised forms, one with wholly glabrous leaves and another pubescent form with leaves which are whitish tomentose on the underside.

Glabrous form

This form, also known as rare bitter-bush or ''Adriana quadripartita'' ''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

'', occurs in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

and in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

where it reaches its eastern limit at

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

heads. This form is listed as "threatened" in Victoria under the

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Parliament designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

Pubescent form

This form, also known as coast bitter-bush, is sometimes recognised as a species in its own right – ''Adriana klotzchii''. It occurs on sand dunes along the coast of South Australia and into Victoria as far east as

Wilsons Promontory Wilsons Promontory is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. South Point (Wilsons Promontory), South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promon ...

. In South Australia, flowers are mostly produced in spring but may appear year round. This form is a host plant of the bitter-bush blue butterfly (''Theclinesthes albocincta'').

Cultivation

The

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

can be propagated by cuttings. The pubescent form may be used as a protective screen planting against salt-spray in coastal areas.

Gallery

Adriana quadripartita (female) - Flickr - Kevin Thiele.jpg, kvinna Adriana quadripartita (male) - Flickr - Kevin Thiele.jpg, Male

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4685530 Acalypheae Malpighiales of Australia Endemic flora of Australia Flora of South Australia Rosids of Western Australia Flora of Victoria (state) Taxa named by Jacques Labillardière Plants described in 1806