Prostanthera ovalifolia

Location & distribution maps

Common name:         Oval-leaf Mintbush

Conservation status: ...

Etymology:   

• Prostanthera is derived from the Greek for an appendage

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Flowers

• The flowers are arranged in groups at the ends of the branchlets with bracteoles 1–2 mm long and 0.2–0.3 mm at the base, but that fall off as the flowers develop

• The sepals are 2–3.5 mm long and form a tube 1–2.5 mm long with two lobes, the lower lobe 0.5–1.5 mm long

• The petals are mauve to deep blue-purple and fused to form a tube 6–18 mm long

• Flowering occurs from August to November

Fruit:                            

Leaves:         

• The leaves are egg-shaped, a lighter shade of green on the lower surface, 5–50 mm long and 3–12 mm wide on a petiole 1–6 mm long

Stem & branches: 

• Stems are square in cross-section and are moderately hairy

Roots:         

Habit:        

• Aan erect, spreading to dense shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–4 m

Habitat:   

Distribution:                  

• Oval-leaf mintbush is widespread in forest growing on sandstone in south-eastern Queensland and eastern NSW

• It is also sporadically naturalised in the eastern half of Victoria

Additional notes:  

• Taxonomy

  • Prostanthera ovalifolia was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his book Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen

• Use in horticulture

  • This mintbush is widely cultivated as a garden shrub where it typically grows to a height of about 2.5 m 

  • It grows best in a well-drained soil with some protection from direct summer sun

  • It should be pruned back by about one third to retain its bushy shape

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostanthera_ovalifolia (2023)