Prostanthera cuneata

Alpine Mint-bush

Prostanthera cuneata, commonly known as alpine mint bush is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, and is endemic to mountainous areas of south-eastern continental Australia
It is an erect, compact shrub with egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and pale lavender to almost white flowers with purple blotches

Common name: Alpine Mint-bush

Conservation status: Presumed to be extinct in Tasmania

In Tasmania, the species is listed as "presumed to be extinct" under the state's Threatened Species Protection Act 1995

Etymology:

Flowers

The flowers are arranged singly in four to ten leaf axils near the ends of branchlets, each flower on a pedicel 1–2 mm long
The sepals are green, usually tinged with purple and form a tube 2.5–3 mm wide with two lobes
The lower sepal lobe is 3–4.5 mm long and the upper lobe 2.5–4 mm long
The petals are pale lavendar to almost white with reddish or purple blotches inside, 9–15 mm long, forming a tube 6–8 mm long
The lower central lobe is 6.5–9 mm long and the upper lobes are 5–6 mm long with a central notch 1–2 mm long
Flowering occurs from November to April

Fruit:

Leaves:

The leaves are strongly aromatic when crushed, egg-shaped with the lower end towards the base, often appearing wedge-shaped, 4–6 mm long, 3.5–5 mm wide and sessile or on a petiole up to 0.5 mm long

Stem & branches:

Roots:

Habit:

Usually an erect, more or less compact shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.5–1.5 m but often tending to prostrate as it ages

Habitat:

Alpine mint bush occurs in alpine and subalpine closed heath and shrubland in granite-based soils
In New South Wales and Victoria, often in association with snow gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora)

Distribution:

endemic to mountainous areas of south-eastern continental Australia
In Tasmania, the species is listed as "presumed to be extinct" under the state's Threatened Species Protection Act 1995
In New South Wales it is found south from the Brindabella Range and in north-eastern Victoria at altitudes between about 1,500 and 2,000 m

Additional notes:

Taxonomy and naming
- Prostanthera cuneata was first formally described in 1848 by botanist George Bentham in de Candolle's treatise Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis
Use in horticulture
- In cultivation this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit
- It has an RHS hardiness rating of H4 (hardy throughout most of the UK, down to -5°/-10 °C)[9] and is suited to USDA hardiness zones 8 to 9

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