Prostanthera scutata

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Prostanthera scutata
Status DECF P2.svg
Priority Two — 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. scutata
Binomial name
Prostanthera scutata
Prostanthera scutataDistA82.png
Occurrence data from AVH

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.

Contents

Description

Prostanthera magnifica is an erect, compact shrub that typically grows to a height of 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) and has densely hairy branches. The leaves are elliptic to narrow elliptic, 1.5–11 mm (0.059–0.433 in) long and 1–6 mm (0.039–0.236 in) wide on a petiole 0.5–2 mm (0.020–0.079 in) long. The flowers are arranged in bunches of six to twenty near the ends of branchlets, each flower on a pedicel 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long. The sepals are dark greyish green, forming a tube 2.5–4 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long with two egg-shaped to broadly egg-shaped lobes, the lower lobe 2–4.5 mm (0.079–0.177 in) long and 2.5–4.5 mm (0.098–0.177 in) wide, the upper lobe 4–8.5 mm (0.16–0.33 in) long and 4.5–8 mm (0.18–0.31 in) wide. The petals are pale blue to faintly violet, 12–20 mm (0.47–0.79 in) long forming a tube 14–15 mm (0.55–0.59 in) long with two lips. The central lobe of the lower lip is 3.5–5 mm (0.14–0.20 in) long and 3–4.5 mm (0.12–0.18 in) wide and the side lobes 2.5–4.5 mm (0.098–0.177 in) long and 3–4.5 mm (0.12–0.18 in) wide. The upper lip is 2.2–5 mm (0.087–0.197 in) long and 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) wide with a central notch 1–2.5 mm (0.039–0.098 in) deep. Flowering occurs in October, December or January. [2] [3]

Taxonomy

Prostanthera scutata was first formally described in 1964 by Charles Austin Gardner in the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia from specimens he collected near the Hutt River. [4] [5]

Distribution and habitat

This mintbush grows in gravelly soil in the Avon Wheatbelt and Geraldton Sandplains biogeographic regions of Western Australia. [2] [3]

Conservation status

This mintbush is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife [2] meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations. [6]

Related Research Articles

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

Prostanthera eurybioides, commonly known as Monarto mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-east of South Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with densely hairy branches, thick, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves clustered on short shoots, and violet to mid-purple flowers that are white with orange and dark purple dots inside the petal tube.

<i>Prostanthera magnifica</i>

Prostanthera magnifica, commonly known as magnificent prostanthera, 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.

<i>Prostanthera junonis</i>

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.

<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>

Prostanthera ammophila, commonly known as sand mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to southern areas of South Australia. It is an erect to spreading shrub with egg-shaped to narrow elliptical leaves and white and purple to mauve flowers with yellow spots inside.

<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 behriana</i>

Prostanthera behriana, commonly known as tall mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-east of South Australia. It is an erect to straggling shrub with egg-shaped leaves and white, pale blue, pale violet or purplish white flowers with red-brown spots or purple streaks inside.

<i>Prostanthera campbellii</i>

Prostanthera campbellii is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with linear leaves and white to cream-coloured flowers with purple striations.

<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>

Prostanthera carrickiana, commonly known as Carrick's mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a restricted area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy branchlets, elliptical leaves pinkish-red flowers.

<i>Prostanthera eckersleyana</i>

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>

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 grylloana</i>

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 incurvata</i>

Prostanthera incurvata is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the inland of Western Australia. It is a small, erect shrub with hairy branches, narrow oblong to narrow egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and pink to red, sometimes yellow flowers.

<i>Prostanthera laricoides</i>

Prostanthera laricoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the inland of Western Australia. It is a small shrub with densely hairy, densely glandular branchlets, cylindrical leaves clustered near the ends of branchlets, and dull, light red flowers.

<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 patens</i>

Prostanthera patens is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a small shrub with stiff, spine-like, hairy branches, egg-shaped to broadly elliptic, hairy leaves and red and orange to pale red flowers.

<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 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 verticillaris</i>

Prostanthera verticillaris is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with whorled, egg-shaped to elliptic leaves and white to purplish-blue flowers.

References

  1. "Prostanthera scutata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Prostanthera scutata". 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): 387–388. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  4. "Prostanthera scutata". APNI. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  5. Gardner, Charles A. (1943). "9.—Contributiones Florae Australiae Occidentalis XIII". Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia. 27: 63. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  6. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 23 September 2020.