Prostanthera Saxicola

''Prostanthera saxicola'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with linear to elliptic leaves and white to mauve flowers arranged in leaf axils.

Description

''Prostanthera saxicola'' is a prostrate to erect, spreading to compact shrub that typically grows to a height of and sometimes has branches covered with white hairs flattened against the stem and more or less sessile glands. Its leaves are linear to elliptic, long and wide on a petiole up to long. The flowers are borne in leaf axils with bracteoles long at the base, the sepals long forming a tube long with two lobes, the upper lobe long. The petals are white to mauve and long. Flowering occurs between July and February.

Taxonomy

''Prostanthera saxicola'' was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his treatise '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''.

Four varieties have been described, the names accepted by the Australian Plant Census:
* ''Prostanthera saxicola'' var. ''bracteolata'' J.H.Willis, an erect to prostrate shrub tall with scattered, linear to narrow oblong or lance-shaped leaves long and wide, flowers with bracteoles long and white to pale mauve or bluish petals;
* ''Prostanthera saxicola'' var. ''major'' Benth., a much-branched shrub tall with narrow elliptic to oblong leaves long and wide densely arranged along the stems, flowers with bracteoles about long and mauve to white petals with yellow spots inside the petal tube;
* ''Prostanthera saxicola'' var. ''montana'' A.A.Ham., a low-lying to prostrate shrub up to tall with crowded, slightly leathery elliptic leaves long and wide, the flowers with bristly bracteoles about long and white petals with purple stripes inside the petal tube;
* ''Prostanthera saxicola'' A.A.Ham. var. ''saxicola'', a slender shrub tall with linear leaves long and wide scattered along the stems, and flowers with bracteoles long and mauve petals.

Distribution and habitat

This mintbush is widely distributed from south-eastern Queensland, through eastern New South Wales and in scattered places in Victoria. It grows in woodland and forest, and often in heath. Variety ''bracteolata'', commonly known as slender mint-bush, is found in south-eastern Queensland and from the Pilliga forest to the Kanangra-Boyd National Park in New South Wales. It is the only variety occurring in Victoria. Variety ''major'' grows in heath in south-eastern Queensland and the Gibraltar Range National Park in New South Wales. Variety ''montana'' occurs in south-eastern New South Wales and var. ''saxicola'' in eastern New South Wales.

Conservation status in Queensland

Both varieties of ''P. saxicola'' (''major'' and ''bracteolata'') found in Queensland are listed as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government '' Nature Conservation Act 1992''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15355624, from2=Q66120905, from3=Q66120906, from4=Q66120908

saxicola
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Flora of Victoria (state)
Lamiales of Australia
Plants described in 1810
Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)