''Prostanthera hirtula'', commonly known as hairy mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

and 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 the south-eastern continental Australia. It is a strongly aromatic, densely hairy, spreading shrub with narrow egg-shaped leaves and dark mauve flowers, and that grows in exposed, rocky sites.

Description

''Prostanthera hirtula'' is a strongly aromatic, densely hairy, spreading shrub that grows to a height of and is covered in more or less spreading hairs. The leaves are mid-green, narrow egg-shaped to narrow elliptic, densely

glandular In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...

on the lower surface, long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are borne in leaf axils near the ends of branchlets with

bracteoles 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 ...

about long at the base. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are long, forming a tube about long with two lobes, the upper lobe long. The petals are dark mauve and long. Flowering occurs in spring.

Taxonomy and naming

''Prostanthera hirtula'' was first formally described in 1870 by

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studi ...

from an unpublished description by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

, based on specimens collected at

Mount Buffalo Mount Buffalo is a mountain plateau of the Australian Alps and is within the Mount Buffalo National Park in Victoria, Australia. It is located approximately northeast of Melbourne. It is noted for its dramatic scenery. The summit of the highes ...

and Mount Disappointment by Mueller and in the Grampians by

Carl Wilhelmi Johann Freiderich Carl Wilhelmi (1829–1884) was a Dresden born seedsman who made large collections of botanical specimens in southern Australia. Wilhelmi was one of a number of influential German-speaking residents such as Ludwig Becker (explore ...

. Bentham's description was published in ''

Flora Australiensis ''Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory'', more commonly referred to as ''Flora Australiensis'', and also known by its standard abbreviation ''Fl. Austral.'', is a seven-volume flora of Australia published be ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

Hairy mintbush grows on elevated, rocky sites in woodland and open forest in New South Wales from the Blue Mountains to the

Budawang Range The Budawang Range, commonly called The Budawangs, a rugged mountain range within the Budawang National Park and the Morton National Park, are part of a spur off the Great Dividing Range and are located in the South Coast region of New South Wal ...

and in southern Victoria.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15355057 hirtula Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Lamiales of Australia Taxa named by George Bentham Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Plants described in 1870