Many have greyish, hairy foliage which reflect the sun's rays while other have a shiny, sticky coating on the foliage as a protection against drying winds. The flowers are more or less tubular in shape with upper and lower lips. They are reasonably large and often very colourful and are sometimes spotted. In some species the corolla may also be subtended by a large and attractive calyx. These features have resulted in a number of species being cultivated as ornamental plants in suitable climates.
Flowers occur in the leaf axils.
The flowers contain nectar and are frequented by honey-eating birds or insects. Although it is possible to achieve germination of Eremophila seeds by sowing the fruits whole, this gives very inconsistent results. Extraction of the seeds from the fruits prior to sowing is far more effective but this is time consuming, requires considerable practice to avoid damage to the seed and, even then, reliable germination may depend on other factors such as the age of the seed, the possible presence of inhibitors and temperature. The most effective method of releasing the seeds is to split the woody fruit in such a way as to open the cells containing the seeds. This requires a sharp blade and some seeds will be unavoidably damaged by the process.