''Prostanthera rotundifolia'', commonly known as round-leaved mintbush or round-leaf mint-bush is a species of 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 south-eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub with aromatic branches covered with short hairs and glands, egg-shaped to more or less round leaves and purple to mauve or pinkish flowers on the ends of branchlets.

Description

''Prostanthera rotundifolia'' is an erect, compact to spreading shrub that typically grows to high and wide with aromatic branches that are covered with short hairs and sessile glands. The leaves are egg-shaped to more or less round, long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are arranged in leaf axils near the ends of branchlets with bracteoles but that fall off as the flower develops. The sepals are long forming a tube long with two lobes, the upper lobe long. The petals are purple to pinkish and long forming a cup-shaped tube. Flowering occurs from September to November.

Taxonomy and naming

''Prostanthera rotundifolia'' was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his treatise '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''. 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 ...

''rotundifolia'' means "rounded leaves".

Distribution and habitat

Round-leaved mintbush is widespread and locally common in woodland, forest and rainforest margins, often in rocky places in the eastern half of New South Wales and the southern half of Victoria. It also occurs in northern and eastern Tasmania but where it is less common and is listed as "vulnerable" under the Tasmanian Government '' Threatened Species Protection Act 1995''.

Use in horticulture

In cultivation the species and the cultivar ‘Rosea’ have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7250970 rotundifolia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (state) Lamiales of Australia Plants described in 1810 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)