''Prostanthera incana'', commonly known as velvet 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 south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect, moderately dense shrub with egg-shaped leaves, and lilac-coloured flowers, found mostly in near-coastal southern New South Wales.

Description

''Prostanthera incana'' is an erect, moderately dense shrub that typically grows to a height of and has hairy branchlets. The leaves are hairy, dull green above, paler below, egg-shaped with wavy edges, long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are arranged in bunches near the ends of branchlets with bracteoles about long at the base. The sepals are long and form a tube long with two lobes, the upper lobe long. The petals are lilac-coloured and long. Flowering occurs from August to December.

Taxonomy

''Prostanthera incana'' was first formally described in 1834 by George Bentham from an unpublished description by

Alan Cunningham General (United Kingdom), General Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham, (1 May 1887 – 30 January 1983) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the British Army noted for his victories over Italian forces in the East African Campaign (World War ...

, based on specimens collected by Charles Fraser in the Blue Mountains and by Cunningham near the junction of the Nepean and Warragamba Rivers. The description was published in Bentham's book, ''Labiatarum Genera et Species''.

Distribution and habitat

Velvet mint-bush grows in forest and woodland in shallow sandy soil in near-coastal New South Wales, south from

Craven Craven may refer to: * Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district ** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974 Places * Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...

in the

Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and so ...

. There is also a small population near Dargo in Victoria.

References

External Links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q15355073 incana Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Lamiales of Australia Plants described in 1834 Taxa named by Allan Cunningham (botanist)