Prostanthera gilesii

Last updated

Prostanthera gilesii
Prostanthera gilesii close up.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Prostanthera
Species:
P. gilesii
Binomial name
Prostanthera gilesii
Prostanthera gilesiiDistA38.png
Occurrence data from AVH

Prostanthera gilesii is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the Mount Canobolas area of New South Wales. It is a small, compact, spreading shrub with aromatic, narrow egg-shaped to elliptical leaves, and white to yellowish white flowers with purple to dark mauve markings inside the petal tube and pale orange markings on the petal lobes.

Contents

Description

Prostanthera gilesii is a compact, spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and has more or less cylindrical, moderately hairy branchlets. The leaves are aromatic, glossy dark green, paler on the lower side, almost glabrous, narrow egg-shaped to more elliptical, 15–26 mm (0.59–1.02 in) long and 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) wide on a petiole 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. The flowers are arranged singly in three or four upper leaf axils with bracteoles about 3–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) long at the base. The sepals are green and form a tube 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.118 in) wide with two lobes, the lower lobe 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and 3.5–4 mm (0.14–0.16 in) wide and the upper lobe 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and 4.5–5.5 mm (0.18–0.22 in) wide. The petals are white to yellowish white and 12–15 mm (0.47–0.59 in) long forming a tube 7–9 mm (0.28–0.35 in) long with purple to dark mauve marking inside the tube. The central lower lobe has pale orange markings and is 10–11 mm (0.39–0.43 in) long and 4–4.5 mm (0.16–0.18 in) wide, the side lobes 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and 4 mm (0.16 in) wide. The upper lobe is 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) wide with a central notch about 1 mm (0.039 in) deep. Flowering occurs in November and December. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Prostanthera gilesii was first formally described in 2015 by Barry Conn and Trevor Wilson from an unpublished description by George Althofer and the description was published in the journal Telopea . [4] [5] The specific epithet (gilesii) was proposed by Althofer to honour William E. Giles who discovered the species in the 1940s. [4] [5] Molecular studies have demonstrated that P. gilesii is closely related to Prostanthera phylicifolia and Prostanthera volucris . [6] [7]

Distribution and habitat

This mint bush grows in forest dominated by Eucalyptus dalrympleana but is only known from the Mount Canobolas State Conservation Area. [2] [3] [4]

Conservation status

This mintbush is listed as "critically endangered" under the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 . The main threats to the species are its small population size, inappropriate fire regimes, weed invasion, disturbance by pigs and illegal collection of plant material. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Prostanthera melissifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

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 galbraithiae</i> Species of flowering plant

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 phylicifolia</i> Species of shrub

Prostanthera phylicifolia, commonly known as spiked mint-bush, is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is an erect shrub with four-ridged branches, narrow egg-shaped to oval leaves and white or pale lilac-coloured flowers with purple and yellow spots.

<i>Prostanthera stenophylla</i> Species of flowering plant

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 marifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Prostanthera marifolia, commonly known as Seaforth mintbush, is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is a small, erect, openly branched shrub with egg-shaped to elliptic leaves, and purple to mauve flowers arranged in leaf axils.

<i>Prostanthera denticulata</i> Species of flowering plant

Prostanthera denticulata, commonly known as rough mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to coastal New South Wales. 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 staurophylla</i> Species of flowering plant

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 prostantheroides</i> Species of shrub

Prostanthera prostantheroides is a plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub with heart-shaped to round leaves and usually white flowers with purple spots inside the petal tube.

<i>Prostanthera junonis</i> Species of flowering plant

Prostanthera junonis, commonly known as Somersby mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the Central Coast of New South Wales. It is a low, straggling shrub with hairy, egg-shaped leaves and purple to mauve flowers.

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 conniana</i> Species of flowering plant

Prostanthera conniana is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to New South Wales. It is an erect, open shrub with branchlets that are square in cross-section, narrow egg-shaped to narrow oblong leaves, and white flowers with bright yellow markings on the throat, the flowers arranged in groups of four to eight.

<i>Prostanthera densa</i> Species of flowering plant

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 eungella</i> Species of flowering plant

Prostanthera eungella is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the Eungella region in Queensland. It is an erect shrub with narrow egg-shaped leaves with small teeth, and mauve flowers that are white inside the petal tube and arranged in upper leaf axils.

<i>Prostanthera hindii</i> Species of flowering plant

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 makinsonii</i> Species of flowering plant

Prostanthera makinsonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is a spreading shrub with strongly aromatic, egg-shaped leaves and mostly glabrous purple flowers arranged in bunches of eight to twelve in upper leaf axils.

<i>Prostanthera mulliganensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Prostanthera mulliganensis, commonly known as Mount Mulligan prostanthera, is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to Mount Mulligan in Queensland. It is a small shrub with hairy branchlets, oblong to egg-shaped leaves and mauve flowers with purple to dark mauve markings.

<i>Prostanthera oleoides</i> Species of flowering plant

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 palustris</i> Species of flowering plant

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 petraea</i> Species of flowering plant

Prostanthera petraea is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a restricted area near the Queensland–New South Wales border. It is a large shrub to small tree with ridged, glandular branches, egg-shaped leaves and white flowers usually without markings.

<i>Prostanthera tallowa</i> Species of flowering plant

Prostanthera tallowa is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the Kangaroo Valley area of New South Wales. It is an erect, aromatic shrub with narrow egg-shaped to linear leaves and mauve to light purple flowers with darker dots inside the petal tube.

References

  1. "Prostanthera gilesii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Prostanthera gilesii - profile". New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 Conn, Barry J.; Murray, Louisa. "Prostanthera gilesii". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Conn, Barry J.; Wilson, Trevor C. (2015). "Two new species of Prostanthera (Lamiaceae) in New South Wales". Telopea. 18: 464–466. doi: 10.7751/telopea9164 .
  5. 1 2 "Prostanthera gilesii". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  6. O'Donnell, R.P.; Wilson, T.C.; Andrew, R.L.; Telford, I.R.H.; Taseski, G.M.; Zimmer, H.; Bruhl, J.J. (2021-11-26). "Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Prostanthera phylicifolia (Lamiaceae) assemblage resolves relationships of the 'Critically Endangered' P. gilesii and other putative new species". Telopea. 24: 359–376. doi: 10.7751/telopea15561 .
  7. O'Donnell, R.P.; Bruhl, J.J.; Telford, I.R.H.; Wilson, T.C.; Zimmer, H.C.; Taseski, G.M.; Andrew, R.L. (2023-02-08). "Molecular and morphological analyses support recognition of Prostanthera volucris (Lamiaceae), a new species from the Central Tablelands of New South Wales". Australian Systematic Botany. 36 (1): 1–20. doi: 10.1071/SB22017 .