Prostanthera ferricola

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Prostanthera ferricola
Prost.ferricola-atlas-1.jpg
Near Wiluna
Status DECF P3.svg
Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Prostanthera
Species:
P. ferricola
Binomial name
Prostanthera ferricola
Prostanthera ferricolaDistA35.png
Occurrence data from AVH

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.

Contents

Description

Prostanthera ferricola is an erect, openly branched shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.3–1 m (1 ft 0 in–3 ft 3 in) and has cylindrical, densely hairy, glandular branchlets. The leaves are egg-shaped, strongly aromatic when crushed, 5.5–10 mm (0.22–0.39 in) long and 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) wide on a petiole 0.5–1 mm (0.020–0.039 in) long. The flowers are arranged singly in four to twelve leaf axils near the ends of branchlets, each flower on a pedicel 0.7–1.5 mm (0.028–0.059 in) long. The sepals form a tube 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long with two lobes, the lower lobe green or faintly purple and 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long, the upper lobe purple-mauve and 11–13 mm (0.43–0.51 in) long. The petals are mauve-purple, 18–20 mm (0.71–0.79 in) long and form a tube 15–18 mm (0.59–0.71 in) long with two lips. The lower lip has three lobes, the centre lobe egg-shaped, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and 9–10 mm (0.35–0.39 in) wide and the side lobes 5.5–6 mm (0.22–0.24 in) long and 4–4.5 mm (0.16–0.18 in) wide. The upper lip is broadly egg-shaped, 6.5–7 mm (0.26–0.28 in) long and 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) wide and deeply divided into two lobes. Flowering occurs from July to September. [2] [3]

Taxonomy

Prostanthera ferricola was first formally described in 1987 by Barry Conn and Kelly Anne Shepherd in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected in the Robinson Ranges in 2006. [2] [4]

Distribution and habitat

This mintbush grows in sparse Acacia aneura shrubland in the Murchison and Gascoyne biogeographic regions of Western Australia. [2] [3]

Conservation status

Prostanthera ferricola is classified "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife [3] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat. [5]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Prostanthera denticulata</i>

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<i>Prostanthera junonis</i>

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<i>Prostanthera althoferi</i>

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<i>Prostanthera ammophila</i>

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Prostanthera athertoniana is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of Queensland. It is a small, densely-foliaged shrub with strongly aromatic, elliptical, oblong or egg-shaped leaves and hairy, purplish-mauve flowers arranged singly in upper leaf axils.

<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 canaliculata</i>

Prostanthera canaliculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, erect shrub with hairy branchlets, narrow egg-shaped to narrow elliptical leaves and pale blue or pale violet to white flowers with no markings.

<i>Prostanthera carrickiana</i>

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

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<i>Prostanthera eckersleyana</i>

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<i>Prostanthera eungella</i>

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<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 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 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 splendens</i>

Prostanthera splendens is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with small, densely glandular, egg-shaped leaves and mauve to light purple flowers, paler on the inside with mauve to reddish-brown dots.

References

  1. "Prostanthera ferricola". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Conn, Barry J.; Shepherd, Kelly A. (2007). "Prostanthera ferricola (Lamiaceae), a new species from Western Australia" (PDF). Nuytsia. 17: 147–152. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Prostanthera ferricola". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  4. "Prostanthera ferricola". APNI. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  5. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 31 August 2020.