Prostanthera melissifolia

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Balm mint bush
BalmMintBush detail.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. melissifolia
Binomial name
Prostanthera melissifolia
Prostanthera melissifoliaDistA57.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]
  • Prostanthera melissifolia var. melissifoliaF.Muell.
  • Prostanthera melissifolia var. parvifolia Sealy

Prostanthera melissifolia, commonly known as balm mint bush, [2] 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.

Contents

Description

Prostanthera melissifolia is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) and has hairy, glandular branches. The leaves are dark green above, paler below, egg-shaped, 15–30 mm (0.59–1.18 in) long and 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) wide on a petiole 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long. There are fine teeth on the edges of the leaves and the midrid and veins are hairy. The flowers are arranged in bunches of ten to twenty on the ends of branchlets with bracteoles 1–2.2 mm (0.039–0.087 in) long at the base but that fall off as the flowers develop. The sepals are green, often with a maroon tinge, and form a tube 2 mm (0.079 in) long with two egg-shaped to oblong lobes 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long. The petals are mauve to purple or pink, 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) long and form a bell-shaped tube 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long with two lips. The central lobe of the lower lip is 5.5–7 mm (0.22–0.28 in) long and 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) wide and the side lobes are 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long and 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) wide. The upper lip is 3–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) long and 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) wide with a central notch 3–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) deep. Flowering occurs in spring. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Prostanthera melissifolia was first formally described in 1858 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae . [5] [6] The specific epithet (melissifolia) is in reference to the foliage resembling Melissa , a genus of perennial herbs. [7] [8]

Distribution and habitat

Balm mint bush grows in tall montane forests between the Otway and Strzelecki Ranges in Victoria and on the far south coast of New South Wales.

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

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

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<i>Prostanthera prostantheroides</i> Species of shrub

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<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 canaliculata</i> Species of flowering plant

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 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 eckersleyana</i> Species of flowering plant

Prostanthera eckersleyana, commonly known as crinkly mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with sticky, hairy branchlets, egg-shaped to elliptical leaves and blue, mauve to purple or violet flowers with maroon spots inside the petal tube.

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

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

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 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 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 nanophylla</i> Species of flowering plant

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

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.

<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. 1 2 "Prostanthera melissifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 Conn, Barry J. "Prostanthera melissifolia". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  3. Conn, Barry J. "Prostanthera melissifolia". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  4. Conn, Barry J. (1998). "Contributions to the systematics of Prostanthera (Labiatae) in south-eastern Australia". Telopea. 7 (4): 324–330. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  5. "Prostanthera melissifolia". APNI. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  6. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1858). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 19. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  7. Althofer, George W. (1978). Cradle of Incense. Stanley Smith Memorial Publications Fund. p. 178. ISBN   0909830134.
  8. Sheather, Warren; Sheather, Gloria. "Prostanthera melissifolia". Plant Profiles. Australian Plant Society-NSW. Retrieved 9 March 2021.