Prostanthera stricta

Prostanthera stricta, commonly known as Mount Vincent mint bush,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is an bushy, erect, spreading shrub with egg-shaped leaves and mauve flowers with darker spots inside.

Mount Vincent mint bush
In Hunter Region Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Prostanthera
Species:
P. stricta
Binomial name
Prostanthera stricta
Occurrence data from AVH

Description

Prostanthera stricta is a bushy, erect, aromatic, spreading shrub that typically grows to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high and 3 m (9.8 ft) wide with densely hairy branches. The leaves are mid-green, densely hairy, egg-shaped, 8–13 mm (0.31–0.51 in) long and 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) wide on a petiole about 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The flowers are arranged in groups at the ends of branchlets with bracteoles about 3–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) long at the base. The sepals are 4–4.5 mm (0.16–0.18 in) long and form a tube about 2 mm (0.079 in) long with two lobes, the upper lobe about 2 mm (0.079 in) long. The petals are 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) long and pale mauve to deep purple-mauve with darker dots inside the petal tube. Flowering occurs from winter to spring.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

Prostanthera stricta was first formally described in 1896 by Richard Thomas Baker in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales from specimens collected near Ilford.[5][6]

Distribution and habitat

This mint bush grows in forest in forest in sandy soil near watercourse on the Central Tablelands and nearby Central West Slopes of New South Wales.[2][3][4]

Conservation status

This mintbush is listed as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The main threats to the species include land clearing, grazing and trampling, and weed invasion.[3][4]

References
  1. "Prostanthera stricta". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  2. Conn, Barry J. "Prostanthera stricta". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  3. "Mount Vincent Mint-bush - profile". New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  4. "Approved Conservation Advice for Prostanthera stricta (Mount Vincent Mintbush)" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  5. "Prostanthera stricta". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  6. Baker, Richard Thomas (1896). "Two new species of Prostanthera from New South Wales". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 21 (3): 380–381. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
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