''Prostanthera howelliae'' is a flowering plant in the mint 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 New South Wales and Queensland. It is a small shrub with narrow stems, aromatic, hairy leaves and pink, purple or violet, tube-shaped flowers.

Description

''Prostanthera howelliae'' is an erect or spreading, virgate shrub which grows to a height and spread of with its branches densely covered with short hairs. The leaves have a fragrant odour when crushed, and are narrow egg-shaped, long, wide with their edges turned under. The leaves have a very short stalk, sometimes a maroon tinge and are covered with short, cone-shaped hairs. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

s with two bracteoles at their base, the bracteoles leaf-like, linear in shape, about long and remaining on the plant after flowering. The tube formed by the sepals is long, with the tubular part about long. The

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

tube is long, pink to purple-mauve and spotted inside the tube. As with many other prostantheras, the petal tube has two "lips" with the upper one having two lobes and the lower one three lobes. Flowering occurs in spring.

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described in 1929 by William Blakely and the description was published in ''

Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes ''the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches'' and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. History The Society succ ...

''. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''howelliae'') honours "Mrs. T.J. Howell, who, for a number of years, has taken a keen interest in the native flora".

Distribution and habitat

This prostanthera grows in woodland and shrubland, often in gravelly or sandy soil, in the eastern half of New South Wales and in Queensland.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15355030 howelliae Plants described in 1929 Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Taxa named by William Blakely