''Prostanthera askania'', commonly known as tranquility mintbush, is a shrub that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Australia. It has mostly pale mauve flowers, strongly scented leaves and branches, dull green, toothed egg-shaped leaves and a restricted distribution.

Description

''Prostanthera askania'' is a small, upright, spreading shrub to high and similar diameter. The strongly aromatic dull green leaves are egg-shaped, paler on the underside, covered with long spreading hairs long and wide and rounded at the apex. The edges have forward facing teeth long and leaves either squared at the base or gradually narrows to the long hairy petiole. The

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s are long and remain after flowering. The dull green

bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

long, the tube long and the lobes long. The 4-10 light mauve or bluish flowers appear in leafy clusters at the end of branches, petals long. Flowering occurs from June to December.

Taxonomy and naming

''Prostanthera askania'' was first formally described in 1997 by

Barry Conn Barry John Conn (Barry Conn, born 1948), is an Australian botanist. He was awarded a Ph.D. from Adelaide University in 1982 for work on ''Prostanthera''. Career Conn's first appointment as a botanist was with the Lae Herbarium in 1974. He ...

and the description was published in '' Telopea''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''askania'' is named after Askania Park a private reserve west of

Ourimbah Ourimbah () is a small township in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, located about north of the Sydney CBD. Ourimbah is located approximately halfway between Sydney and Newcastle. The township today consists of small scat ...

, where it grows in sheltered gullies.

Distribution and habitat

Tranquility mint bush has a restricted distribution near creeks that flow into

Brisbane Water Brisbane Water is a wave-dominated barrier estuary located in the Central Coast region, north of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Brisbane Water has its origin at the confluence of the Narara and Coorumbine Creeks, to the south–east of G ...

Tuggerah Lake Tuggerah Lake, an intermittently open intermediate wave dominated barrier estuary that is part of the Tuggerah Lakes, is located within the local government area in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The lake is located ...

near

Gosford Gosford is the city and administrative centre of the Central Coast Council local government area in the heart of the Central Coast region, about north of Sydney and about south of Newcastle. The city centre is situated at the northern extre ...

in New South Wales. It grows as an understory shrub near rainforest on flats to reasonably steep slopes in sandstone and alluvial soils.

Conservation status

''Prostanthera askania'' is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government ''

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...

'' and the New South Wales Government '' Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15355052

askania A cinetheodolite (a.k.a. ''kinetheodolite'') is a photographic instrument for collection of trajectory data. It can be used to acquire data in the testing of missiles, rockets, projectiles, aircraft, and fire control systems; in the ripple firin ...

Flora of New South Wales Lamiales of Australia Plants described in 1997 Taxa named by Barry John Conn