Prostanthera cryptandroides

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Prostanthera cryptandroides
Prostanthera cryptandroides flower.JPG
In Burrendong Botanic Garden
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Prostanthera
Species:
P. cryptandroides
Binomial name
Prostanthera cryptandroides
Prostanthera cryptandroidesDistA24.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]

Prostanthera odoratissimaBenth.

Prostanthera cryptandroides is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with narrow egg-shaped leaves and lilac to mauve flowers arranged singly in leaf axils.

Contents

Description

Prostanthera cryptandroides is a low, spreading, strongly aromatic shrub, the branches with spreading hairs as well as glandular hairs. The leaves are pale green, narrow egg-shaped, 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) long, 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide and sessile or on a petiole up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The flowers are tube-shaped and arranged in upper leaf axils near the ends of branchlets. There are bracteoles 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long at the base of the flower, but that fall off as the flower develops. The sepals are 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long and form a tube 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long with two lobes, the upper 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long. The petals are lilac to mauve and 11–15 mm (0.43–0.59 in) long. Flowering occurs from September to April. [2] [3]

Taxonomy

Prostanthera cryptandroides was first formally described in 1834 by George Bentham from an unpublished description by Allan Cunningham and the description was published in Bentham's book Labiatarum Genera et Species from specimens collected by Cunningham near the Hunter River. [4] [5]

In 1999, Barry Conn described two subspecies of P. cryptandroides in the journal Telopea and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

Distribution and habitat

This mint bush grows in forest, often in rocky places and is found from the Leichhardt region of north Queensland to northern New South Wales. [2] [9] Wollemi mint-bush has a restricted distribution between the Lithgow and Sandy Hollow districts of New South Wales. Populations of subsp. cryptandroides occur within the Wollemi and Gardens of Stone National Parks. [10]

Conservation status

Subspecies eudesmioides is classified as of "least concern" in Queensland. [11] Subspecies cryptandroides 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 this subspecies are habitat loss, trampling and grazing, inappropriate fire regimes and weed invasion. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Prostanthera</i>

Prostanthera, commonly known as mintbush or mint bush, is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae, and all are endemic to Australia. Plants are usually shrubs, rarely trees with leaves in opposite pairs. The flowers are arranged in panicles in the leaf axils or on the ends of branchlets. The sepals are joined at the base with two lobes. The petals are usually blue to purple or white, joined in a tube with two "lips", the lower lip with three lobes and the upper lip with two lobes or notched.

<i>Prostanthera incisa</i>

Prostanthera incisa, commonly known as cut-leaf mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect, strongly aromatic, openly branched shrub with hairy, densely glandular branches, egg-shaped to oblong leaves, and pale mauve to mauve flowers.

<i>Prostanthera melissifolia</i>

Prostanthera melissifolia, commonly known as balm mint bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy branches, egg-shaped leaves with fine teeth on the edges and mauve to purple or pink flowers on the ends of branchlets.

<i>Prostanthera nivea</i>

Prostanthera nivea, commonly known as snowy mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub with linear to cylindrical leaves and white flowers arranged in leaf axils near the ends of branchlets and is one of the mint-bushes that is not aromatic.

<i>Prostanthera galbraithiae</i>

Prostanthera galbraithiae, commonly known as Wellington mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Victoria in Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with densely hairy branches that are more or less square in cross-section, narrow egg-shaped or oblong leaves with the edges rolled under, and deep mauve to purple flowers with maroon dots inside the petal tube.

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

Prostanthera cuneata, commonly known as alpine mint bush, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, and is endemic to mountainous areas of south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect, compact shrub with egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and pale lavendar to almost white flowers with purple blotches.

<i>Prostanthera stenophylla</i>

Prostanthera stenophylla is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Wollemi National Park in New South Wales. It is an erect, slender, aromatic shrub with hairy, oblong leaves and small groups of pale bluish mauve to violet flowers.

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

Prostanthera aspalathoides, commonly known as scarlet mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a small shrub with hairy branches, cylindrical or linear to elliptic or oblong leaves and red, pinkish red, or orange flowers arranged singly in leaf axils.

<i>Prostanthera rhombea</i>

Prostanthera rhombea, commonly known as sparkling mint-bush, is a plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to disjunct areas of south-eastern Australia. It is an openly-branched shrub with strongly aromatic branches, circular to heart-shaped leaves and mauve or bluish flowers.

<i>Prostanthera denticulata</i>

Prostanthera denticulata, commonly known as rough mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a straggling to almost prostrate, aromatic shrub with narrow egg-shaped leaves and purple to mauve flowers arranged in leaf axils or on the ends of branchlets.

<i>Prostanthera hirtula</i>

Prostanthera hirtula, commonly known as hairy mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic 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.

<i>Prostanthera incana</i>

Prostanthera incana, commonly known as velvet mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect, moderately dense shrub with egg-shaped leaves, and lilac-coloured flowers, found mostly in near-coastal southern New South Wales.

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

Prostanthera serpyllifolia, commonly known as small-leaved mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to southern Australia. It is a small shrub with small egg-shaped leaves and bright pink to red or metallic bluish-green flowers.

<i>Prostanthera staurophylla</i>

Prostanthera staurophylla, commonly known as Tenterfield mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a small area on the New England Tableland of New South Wales. It is an erect to spreading, strongly aromatic shrub with hairy branches, deeply lobed leaves and bluish-mauve flowers with darker markings.

<i>Prostanthera baxteri</i>

Prostanthera baxteri is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-east of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with narrow egg-shaped to linear leaves and white flowers with a tinge of blue to pale mauve.

<i>Prostanthera cineolifera</i>

Prostanthera cineolifera, commonly known as the Singleton mint bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales. It is an erect shrub with hairy branches, narrow egg-shaped leaves and clusters of pale mauve to dark purple-mauve flowers arranged on the ends of branchlets.

<i>Prostanthera densa</i>

Prostanthera densa, commonly known as villous mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to near-coastal areas of New South Wales. It is an erect, often compact shrub with aromatic branches, egg-shaped leaves, and mauve flowers with orange markings inside.

<i>Prostanthera hindii</i>

Prostanthera hindii is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. It is a small, erect shrub with densely hairy branches, egg-shaped leaves, and mauve flowers with deep mauve to dark purple colouration inside the petal tube.

<i>Prostanthera palustris</i>

Prostanthera palustris, commonly known as swamp mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is a low, spreading, weak shrub with spatula-shaped leaves and pale mauve and white flowers with yellow spots in the petal tube.

<i>Prostanthera rugosa</i>

Prostanthera rugosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is an openly-branched shrub with egg-shaped or narrow egg-shaped, thick, fleshy leaves and mauve flowers with a white tinge arranged in leaf axils near the ends of branchlets.

References

  1. 1 2 "Prostanthera cryptandroides". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Conn, Barry J. "Prostanthera cryptandroides". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  3. "The Prostanthera cryptandroides - P. euphrasioides - P. odoratissima complex (Labiatae)". Telopea. 8 (2): 265–267. 1999. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  4. "Prostanthera cryptandroides". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  5. Bentham, George (1834). Labiatarum Genera et Species. Piccadilly: James Ridgway and Sons. p. 453. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  6. "Prostanthera cryptandroides subsp. cryptandroides". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Wollemi Mint-bush - profile". New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  8. "Prostanthera cryptandroides subsp. euphrasioides". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  9. "Prostanthera cryptandroides subsp. euphrasioides". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  10. "Prostanthera cryptandroides subsp. cryptandroides". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  11. "Species profile—Prostanthera cryptandroides subsp. euphrasioides". Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science. Retrieved 30 August 2020.