''Prostanthera denticulata'', commonly known as rough mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

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.

Description

''Prostanthera denticulata'' is a straggling to more or less prostrate, aromatic shrub that typically grows to a height of , spreading to wide, with short, flattened hairs on the branchlets. The leaves are egg-shaped, long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are arranged in leaf axils near the ends of branchlets with bracteoles long at the base. The sepals are long forming a tube long with two lobes, the upper lobe about long. The petals are long and form a purple to mauve tube. Flowering occurs in spring and early summer.

Taxonomy

''Prostanthera denticulata'' was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''. A recent study of ''P. denticulata'' demonstrated that coastal forms are distinct from those found elsewhere in New South Wales and Victoria. As Brown made numerous collections of ''P. denticulata'' and did not specify a holotype, a lectotype was designated from one of Brown’s collections made at the head of Middle Harbour, Sydney. Accessions previously assigned as ''P. denticulata'' from Bathurst,

Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...

, Temora and West Wyalong were separated as the new species '' P. crocodyloides''.

Distribution and habitat

''Prostanthera denticulata'' grows in sandy, gravelly, well-drained soils derived from Triassic coarse-grained sandstone. Surrounding vegetation typically has heath-like elements in woodland or wet sclerophyll forest. It is known from the Central Coast between Bouddi National Park and the Royal National Park in New South Wales.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15355238 denticulata Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Lamiales of Australia Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) Plants described in 1810