''Calamphoreus inflatus'' is the only species of the

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

''Calamphoreus'' in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Scrophulariaceae The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral ( zygomorphic) or rarely radial ( actinomorphic) symmetry. The S ...

. It is a shrub, formerly known as ''Eremophila inflata'' but unlike eremophilas, this species has twisted

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s and an urn-shaped

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

tube which remains attached to the fruits after flowering.

Description

''Calamphoreus inflatus'' is a shrub sometimes growing to a height of and spreading to wide with branches that are slightly sticky when young. The leaves are arranged alternately, mostly long, wide, thick, sticky and elliptic or narrow lance-shaped. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to 5 in the

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ...

s of leaves on a stalk long. There are 5 oblong

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s which are hairy, and after flowering develop a network of distinct veins. There are also 5

s joined at their bases, forming an expanded bell-shaped tube. The petal tube is purple except inside the tube where it is white, spotted with purple. The tube is long with lobes that are rounded and of unequal lengths. There are 4 short

s with twisted or curved filaments. Flowering occurs mainly in summer and is followed by densely hairy, oval-shaped fruits about long with the dried petal tube remaining on the outside.

Taxonomy and naming

''Calamphoreus inflatus'' was first formally described in 1942 by Charles Gardner in ''

Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia The Royal Society of Western Australia (RSWA) promotes science in Western Australia. The RSWA was founded in 1914. It publishes the '' Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia'', and has awarded the Medal of the Royal Society of Western ...

'' as ''Eremophila inflata'' from a specimen collected in the Coolgardie district near Mount Holland and Lake Cronin. The

name (''Calamphoreus'') is from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

words ''kalos'' meaning "beautiful" and ''amphoreus'' meaning "two-handled vase", "pitcher", "jar", "jug" or "cinerary urn" referring to the shape of the flowers. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''inflatus'') is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

word meaning "puffed up" or "swollen".

Distribution and habitat

''Calamphoreus inflatus'' occurs from

Lake King Lake King is a town in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, from Perth along State Route 40 between Kelmscott and Ravensthorpe. As of 2016, the town had a population of 95. The 2011 census recorded both the population of the ...

to Mount Holland and in nearby areas in the Coolgardie and Mallee

biogeographic regions A biogeographic realm or ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivided into ecoregions. De ...

. It has also been recorded east of Hyden. It grows in gravelly

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand ( particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...

on flats and disturbed sites.

Conservation

''Calamphoreus inflatus'' is classified as " Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife meaning that it is rare or near threatened.

Use in horticulture

Commonly cultivated as ''Eremophila inflata'', this species grows well in most soils provided it is well drained and in a sunny position. It is most easily propagated from cuttings.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18176991 Scrophulariaceae Monotypic Lamiales genera Scrophulariaceae genera Endemic flora of Southwest Australia Plants described in 1942 Taxa named by Charles Gardner