Prostanthera spinosa 

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Internal links:             Angiosperms > Eudicots > Superastrids > Lamids > Lamiaceae > Prostanthera spinosa

External links:     Angiosperms > Eudicots > Superastrids > Lamids > Lamiaceae > Prostanthera spinosa

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms  > Eudicots > Asterids >   Lamiales > Lamiaceae   >  Postanthera spinosa

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:        Spiny Mintbush 

Conservation status: unkown

Etymology:   

• The specific epithet (spinosa) is derived from the Latin spinosus meaning "thorny"

Flowers:                  

•  It has mauve to white flowers

• Its flowers occur singly in the leaf axils, they are pale mauve to lilac to white with orange-brown streaks or spots on the lower inside petal that is 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long. 

• The bracteoles remain to flower maturity are 0.9–2 mm long and 0.2–0.3 mm wide

• Flowering occurs from July to December

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

• Aromatic foliage

• The small leaves are thickly hairy or with occasional hairs, mostly on the petiole

• The leaf is narrowly egg-shaped to broadly elliptic or trullate

• 1.5–6 mm long, 1–3 mm wide

• The petiole 0.4–1 mm long

• The leaves are darker on the upper surface, paler on the underside

• Smooth or with firm, spreading hairs below on the midrib and profusely covered with glands

• The leaf margins entire or slightly rolled under

• Underside veins obscure

• Ending in a rounded apex

• On a petiole 0.4–1 mm long

Stem & branches: 

•  Spiny stems and aromatic foliage

• The aromatic branches may be sparsely or moderately densely hairy

• Either upward spreading, straight or curled hairs 0.2–1 mm long, or smooth with a few hairs at the nodes 

• Consistent decussate spines 6–16 mm long

Roots:         

• x

Habit:        

•  It is a shrub

• A small, rigid, upright shrub with a scrambling habit mostly semi-prostrate

• Usually 0.2–2 m high

Habitat:   

• Occurs in the Grampians in rocky locations on shallow, sandy soils

• In South Australia it is found growing near watercourses mostly in loamy-sand over limestone or sandstone

Distribution:                  

• Endemic to south-eastern Australia

Species:                     

• World:            S,    G

• Australia:      S,    G

Additional notes:     

Taxonomy and naming

• The species was formally described in 1855 by Victorian Government Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller, based on plant material collected from "rocky declivities in springs near the Grampians"

• The description was published in Hooker's Journal of Botany and Kew Garden Miscellany