Prostanthera althoferi

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Prostanthera althoferi
Prostanthera althoferi-Kevin Thiele-Flickr.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Prostanthera
Species:
P. althoferi
Binomial name
Prostanthera althoferi
Prostanthera althoferiDistA3.png
Occurrence data from AVH

Prostanthera althoferi is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to inland areas of Australia. It is an erect shrub with its stems and leaves densely covered with silvery, greyish-green hairs, and has narrow egg-shaped leaves and white to cream-coloured flowers with mauve or purple striations inside.

Contents

Description

Prostanthera althoferi is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.5–3 m (1 ft 8 in–9 ft 10 in) with stems that are square in cross-section and densely covered with silvery, greyish-green hairs. The leaves are sessile, linear to narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, densely covered with silvery, greyish-green hairs, 7–36 mm (0.28–1.42 in) long and 1–2.5 mm (0.039–0.098 in) wide. The flowers are arranged singly in four to twenty leaf axils near the ends of branchlets, each flower on a densely hairy pedicel 0.9–3.3 mm (0.035–0.130 in) long. The sepals form a green to cream-coloured, hairy tube tinged with maroon and 1.8–4 mm (0.071–0.157 in) long with two lobes, the lower lobe broadly egg-shaped, 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long and 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) wide, the upper lobe 3.5–5.5 mm (0.14–0.22 in) long and 2.5–6.5 mm (0.098–0.256 in) wide. The petals form a white to cream-coloured tube 6.5–9 mm (0.26–0.35 in) long with mauve to purple striations inside. The lower lip has three lobes, the centre lobe spatula-shaped, 3.5–6.5 mm (0.14–0.26 in) long and 2.5–5.5 mm (0.098–0.217 in) wide and the side lobes 2.2–5 mm (0.087–0.197 in) long and 1.5–3.5 mm (0.059–0.138 in) wide. The upper lip has two lobes 2.6–5 mm (0.10–0.20 in) long and about 3–7.5 mm (0.12–0.30 in) wide. Flowering occurs from March to October. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

Prostanthera althoferi was first formally described in 1988 by Barry Conn in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected near Leonora in 1975. The specific epithet (althoferi) honours George Althofer. [2] [5] In the same journal, Conn described two subspecies and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

Distribution and habitat

This mintbush grows on sandplains, granite outcrops, low sandy rises and dunes. Subspecies althoferi is restricted to Western Australia where it is found in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Great Victoria Desert, Murchison and Yalgoo biogeographic regions. [8] Subspecies longifolia occurs in the southern part of the Northern Territory and the northern arid and western pastoral regions and Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. [2] [3] [4]

Conservation status

Prostanthera althoferi subsp. althoferi is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. [3]

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<i>Prostanthera campbellii</i>

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<i>Prostanthera centralis</i> Species of plant

Prostanthera centralis is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to an area near the border between the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy branchlets, hairy egg-shaped to elliptical leaves and mauve to blue flowers.

<i>Prostanthera cruciflora</i>

Prostanthera cruciflora is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to New South Wales. It is an erect, strongly aromatic shrub with egg-shaped leaves and white flowers with yellow streaks arranged in groups on the ends of branchlets.

<i>Prostanthera ferricola</i>

Prostanthera ferricola is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to central Western Australia. It is an erect, openly branched shrub with aromatic, egg-shaped leaves and mauve-purple flowers arranged in four to twelve leaf axils near the end of branchlets.

<i>Prostanthera grylloana</i>

Prostanthera grylloana is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small, erect shrub with densely hairy branchlets, small, spatula-shaped leaves and red to pink flowers.

<i>Prostanthera nanophylla</i>

Prostanthera nanophylla is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with hairy branches, egg-shaped to elliptic or narrow oblong leaves and mauve or blue to white flowers with dull brown, maroon or purple spots.

<i>Prostanthera oleoides</i>

Prostanthera oleoides is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to central Queensland. It is an open, erect shrub with four-sided branchlets, narrow elliptic, oblong or egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and mauve flowers with purple to dark mauve markings.

<i>Prostanthera petrophila</i>

Prostanthera petrophila is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with densely hairy branches, narrow egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and white flowers with violet striations in the petal tube.

<i>Prostanthera scutata</i>

Prostanthera scutata is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small, erect, compact shrub with densely hairy branches, elliptic to narrow elliptic leaves and pale blue or faintly violet flowers.

<i>Prostanthera semiteres</i>

Prostanthera semiteres is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with narrow egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and pink or red flowers.

<i>Prostanthera sericea</i>

Prostanthera sericea, commonly known as silky mintbush or walyuwalyu, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to inland Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy branches, cylindrical leaves and white flowers with mauve or purple streaks.

<i>Prostanthera wilkieana</i> Species of plant

Prostanthera wilkieana is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to the more arid areas of Australia. It is an erect, densely-branched shrub with elliptic to narrow egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and mauve to pale violet or white flowers with deep purple streaks and yellowish brown dots inside the petal tube.

References

  1. "Prostanthera althoferi". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Conn, Barry J. (1988). "A taxonomic revision of Prostanthera Labill. Section Prostanthera (Labiatae). 1. The species of the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia". Nuytsia. 6 (3): 374–377. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Prostanthera althoferi". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  4. 1 2 "Prostanthera althoferi subsp. longifolia B.J.Conn". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  5. "Prostanthera althoferi". APNI. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  6. "Prostanthera althoferi subsp. althoferi". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  7. "Prostanthera althoferi subsp. longifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  8. "Prostanthera althoferi subspecies althoferi". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.