Adriana quadripartita is a shrub in the family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbiaceae, the Spurge family are a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....

. The species, which is endemic to southern Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, has an erect open habit, growing to between 0.5 and 3 metres or more high.

The lanceloate 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, occurs in Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

, South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

 and in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

 where it reaches its eastern limit at Port Phillip

Port Phillip

Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...

 heads. This form is listed as "threatened" in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

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

Wilsons Promontory is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland and is located at . South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia...

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