Prostanthera incana
Velvet Mint-bush
Velvet Mint-bush
Wikipedia links: Angiosperms > Eudicots > Asterids > Lamiales > Lamiaceae > Prostanthera incana
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Overview:
Prostanthera incana, commonly known as velvet mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia
It is an erect, moderately dense shrub with egg-shaped leaves, and lilac-coloured flowers, found mostly in near-coastal southern NSW
Common name: Velvet Mint-bush
Conservation status: ...
Etymology:
Prostanthera is derived from the Greek for an appendage
Flowers
The flowers are arranged in bunches near the ends of branchlets with bracteoles about 2–3 mm long at the base
The sepals are 4–6 mm long and form a tube 2–2.5 mm long with two lobes, the upper lobe 2–3.5 mm long
The petals are lilac-coloured and 8–10 mm long
Flowering occurs from August to December
Fruit:
Leaves:
The leaves are hairy, dull green above, paler below, egg-shaped with wavy edges, 9–18 mm long and 6–13 mm wide on a petiole 2–4 mm long
Stem & branches:
Roots:
Habit:
An erect, moderately dense shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–2.5 m and has hairy branchlets
Habitat:
Forest and woodland in shallow sandy soil
Distribution:
It is found in near-coastal NSW, south from Craven in the Hunter Valley
There is also a small population near Dargo in Victoria
Additional notes:
Taxonomy
Prostanthera incana was first formally described in 1834 by George Bentham from an unpublished description by Alan Cunningham, based on specimens collected by Charles Fraser in the Blue Mountains and by Cunningham near the junction of the Nepean and Warragamba Rivers
The description was published in Bentham's book, Labiatarum Genera et Species
Sources of information: