Prostanthera magnifica

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Magnificent prostanthera
Prostanthera magnifica.jpg
In Maranoa Gardens
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Prostanthera
Species:
P. magnifica
Binomial name
Prostanthera magnifica
Prostanthera magnificaDistA53.png
Occurrence data from AVH

Prostanthera magnifica, commonly known as magnificent prostanthera, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a slender to spreading, erect shrub that has hairy stems, elliptical to narrow egg-shaped leaves and pale mauve or pale blue to pink flowers with prominent dark mauve to purple sepals.

Contents

Description

Prostanthera magnifica is a slender, to spreading, erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.4–2.5 m (1 ft 4 in–8 ft 2 in) and has slightly flattened, more or less hairy branches. The leaves are elliptic to narrow egg-shaped, 15–44 mm (0.59–1.73 in) long and 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) wide on a petiole 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) long. The flowers are arranged in bunches of six to eighteen near the ends of branchlets, each flower on a pedicel 2.5–6 mm (0.098–0.236 in) long. The sepals are dark mauve to purple, forming a tube 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long with two prominent, egg-shaped lobes, the lower lobe 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long and 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) wide, the upper lobe 15–26 mm (0.59–1.02 in) long and 10–23 mm (0.39–0.91 in) wide. The petals are pale mauve or pale blue to pink with dark purple spots, 16–25 mm (0.63–0.98 in) long forming a tube 15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) long with two lips. The central lobe of the lower lip is 4–7.5 mm (0.16–0.30 in) long and 2.5–7 mm (0.098–0.276 in) wide and the side lobes 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long and 2–5.5 mm (0.079–0.217 in) wide. The upper lip is 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long and 2.5–5 mm (0.098–0.197 in) wide with a central notch 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) deep. Flowering occurs from August to November. [2] [3]

Taxonomy

Prostanthera magnifica was first formally described in 1943 by Charles Austin Gardner in the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia from specimens collected near Mullewa by William Blackall. [4] [5]

Distribution and habitat

Magnificent prostanthera grows on granite outcrops, ironstone hills and rock crevices in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Geraldton Sandplains, Murchison and Yalgoo biogeographic regions of Western Australia. [2] [3]

Conservation status

This mintbush is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife. [2]

Use in horticulture

Prostanthera magnifica prefers a sunny or partly shaded position in well-drained soil. It is sensitive to both frost and humidity. Propagation is successful from both seed and cuttings, though seed germination is slow. Grafting is often used to produce a longer-living plant with rootstocks including Westringia fruticosa and Prostanthera striatiflora . The latter gives rise to plants with a longer flowering period and less unwanted growth below the graft. [6]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Prostanthera eurybioides</i> species of plant

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<i>Prostanthera junonis</i>

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<i>Prostanthera althoferi</i>

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.

<i>Prostanthera ammophila</i>

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<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>

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<i>Prostanthera chlorantha</i>

Prostanthera chlorantha, commonly known as green mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-east of South Australia. It is a small shrub with small, broadly egg-shaped to round leaves and mauve, bluish green, or greenish red to greenish yellow flowers with a pink tinge.

<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 eungella</i>

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 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 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 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 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 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.

<i>Prostanthera tallowa</i>

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.

<i>Prostanthera tozerana</i>

Prostanthera tozerana is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to Mount Tozer in Queensland. It is a small, compact shrub with hairy branchlets, thick egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and pale purplish-mauve flowers.

References

  1. "Prostanthera magnifica". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Prostanthera magnifica". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  3. 1 2 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): 404–406. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  4. "Prostanthera magnifica". APNI. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  5. Gardner, Charles A. (1943). "Contributiones Florae Australiae Occidentalis, XI". Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia. 27: 196–197. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  6. "Prostanthera magnifica". Australian Native Plant Society Australia. Retrieved 24 May 2011.