''Scaevola spinescens'' (common names of currant bush & maroon bush) is a

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

in the family

Goodeniaceae Goodeniaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Asterales. It contains about 404 species in twelve genera. The family is distributed mostly in Australia, except for the genus '' Scaevola'', which is pantropical. Its species are found ac ...

, found in all mainland

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 ...

n states and territories, in the drier parts. Common names by which it is known in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

are spiny fanflower, prickly fanflower, and Incense bush, while the common names listed for

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

are maroon bush, fan bush, prickly fan flower. It was first described in 1810 by

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

who named it ''Scaevola spinescens''. In south west

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 ...

, the

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian people who live in the South West, Western Australia, south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton, Western Aus ...

people called it Murin Murin and made decoctions from the whole plant for the treatment of cancer, intestinal complaints, heart disease, and urinary and kidney complaints.

Conservation status

In the state of

it is classified as "not threatened", and in the Northern Territory as being of "least concern". In

and

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 ...

no comment is made, while in Victoria it is rather rare.VicFlora: ''Scaevola spinescens''
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Gallery

Scaevola spinescens - Flickr - Kevin Thiele.jpg Scaevola spinescens foliage.jpg Scaevola spinescens habit.jpg

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17480656 spinescens Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of Western Australia Flora of South Australia Flora of Victoria (state) Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) Plants described in 1810