Prostanthera staurophylla

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Tenterfield mint-bush
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Prostanthera
Species:
P. staurophylla
Binomial name
Prostanthera staurophylla
Prostanthera staurophyllaDistA92.png
Occurrence data from AVH

Prostanthera staurophylla, commonly known as Tenterfield mint-bush, [3] 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.

Contents

Description

Prostanthera staurophylla is an erect to spreading, strongly aromatic shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–1.8 m (3 ft 3 in–5 ft 11 in) with branches covered with white hairs. The leaves are lime green to dark green, elliptic to oblong, trowel-shaped or cross-shaped with mostly three lobes, 2–9 mm (0.079–0.354 in) long and 0.9–7 mm (0.035–0.276 in) wide on a petiole 0.6–1.2 mm (0.024–0.047 in) long. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils, the sepals 3.4–4 mm (0.13–0.16 in) long forming a tube 2–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) long with two broadly egg-shaped lobes. The petals are bluish mauve with darker markings, 15–18 mm (0.59–0.71 in) long forming a tube 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long, the central lower lobe 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and the side lobes 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long, the upper lip 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long and 9–10 mm (0.35–0.39 in) wide. Flowering occurs from August to December. [4] [5]

Taxonomy

Prostanthera staurophylla was first formally described in 1875 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from material collected between Tenterfield and the Severn River by Charles Stuart. [6] [7]

Distribution and habitat

Tenterfield mint-bush is only known from near Tenterfield on the New England Tableland of New South Wales, where it grows in open and exposed places near granite outcrops with Kunzea and Leptospermum species. The discovery in 2001 by John T. Hunter and J.B. Williams of a specimen in the Mount Mackenzie Nature Reserve was the first record of the species in 130 years. [5]

Conservation status

Prostanthera staurophylla is classified as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and as "endangered" under the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 . The main threats to the species include its small population size, grazing, disturbance by pigs and goats, trampling and illegal collection of wildflowers. [1] [3]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Prostanthera cryptandroides</i>

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<i>Prostanthera stenophylla</i>

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<i>Prostanthera linearis</i>

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<i>Prostanthera walteri</i>

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

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<i>Prostanthera prostantheroides</i>

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<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 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 densa</i>

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 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 gilesii</i>

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<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 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 stricta</i>

Prostanthera stricta, commonly known as Mount Vincent mint bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is an bushy, erect, spreading shrub with egg-shaped leaves and mauve flowers with darker spots inside.

<i>Prostanthera teretifolia</i>

Prostanthera teretifolia, commonly known as turpentine bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is an erect to spreading, aromatic shrub with more or less cylindrical leaves and bluish-purple flowers.

<i>Prostanthera violacea</i>

Prostanthera violacea, commonly known as violet mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to south-eastern New South Wales. It is a slender, strongly aromatic shrub with densely hairy branches, more or less round leaves with the edges rolled under and mauve to bluish flowers often with white tips.

References

  1. 1 2 Le Breton, Tom D. "Conservation Assessment of Prostanthera staurophylla" (PDF). Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  2. "Prostanthera staurophylla". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Tenterfield mint-bush - profile". New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  4. Conn, B.J. "New South Wales Flora Online: Prostanthera staurophylla". Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia.
  5. 1 2 Hunter, John T.; William, John B.; Conn, Barry J. (2006). "Rediscovery of Prostanthera staurophylla F.Muell. and reinstatement of P. teretifolia Maiden & Betche (Lamiaceae)". Telopea. 11 (2): 119–122. doi: 10.7751/telopea20065713 .
  6. "Prostanthera staurophylla". APNI. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  7. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1875). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. pp. 73–74. Retrieved 1 October 2020.