''Prostanthera petraea'' 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 a restricted area near the Queensland–New South Wales border. It is a large shrub to small tree with ridged, glandular branches, egg-shaped leaves and white flowers usually without markings.

Description

''Prostanthera petraea'' is a shrub or small tree that typically grows to a height of and has branches with two longitudinal ridges. The leaves are dull olive-green above, much paler below, egg-shaped, long and wide on a petiole about long. The flowers are arranged in groups near the ends of branchlets with bracteoles long at the base, but that fall off as the flower develops. The sepals are light green and form a tube long with two lobes, the lower lobe long and the upper lobe long. The petals are white, usually without markings, long forming a tube long with two lips. The central lobe of the lower lip is long and wide and the side lobes are long and wide. The upper lip is long and wide with a central notch long. Flowering occurs from late spring to early summer.

Taxonomy

''Prostanthera petraea'' was first formally described in 2006 by

Barry Conn Barry John Conn (Barry Conn, born 1948), is an Australian botanist. He was awarded a Ph.D. from Adelaide University in 1982 for work on ''Prostanthera''. Career Conn's first appointment as a botanist was with the Lae Herbarium in 1974. He ...

in the journal '' Telopea'' from material collected in Bald Rock National Park in 1992.

Distribution and habitat

This mint-bush grows in woodland amongst granite boulders in the Boonoo Boonoo - Bald Rock area in far south-east Queensland and the Northern Tablelands of north-eastern New South Wales.

Conservation status

''Prostanthera petraea'' is classified as "near threatened" in Queensland under the Queensland Government '' Nature Conservation Act 1992''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15355284 petraea Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Lamiales of Australia Plants described in 2006 Taxa named by Barry John Conn