Prostanthera ferricola
Near Wiluna

Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Prostanthera
Species:
P. ferricola
Binomial name
Prostanthera ferricola
Occurrence data from AVH

Prostanthera ferricola is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to central Western Australia. It is an erect, openly branched shrub with aromatic, egg-shaped leaves and mauve-purple flowers arranged in four to twelve leaf axils near the end of branchlets.

Description

Prostanthera ferricola is an erect, openly branched shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.3–1 m (1 ft 0 in – 3 ft 3 in) and has cylindrical, densely hairy, glandular branchlets. The leaves are egg-shaped, strongly aromatic when crushed, 5.5–10 mm (0.22–0.39 in) long and 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) wide on a petiole 0.5–1 mm (0.020–0.039 in) long. The flowers are arranged singly in four to twelve leaf axils near the ends of branchlets, each flower on a pedicel 0.7–1.5 mm (0.028–0.059 in) long. The sepals form a tube 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long with two lobes, the lower lobe green or faintly purple and 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long, the upper lobe purple-mauve and 11–13 mm (0.43–0.51 in) long. The petals are mauve-purple, 18–20 mm (0.71–0.79 in) long and form a tube 15–18 mm (0.59–0.71 in) long with two lips. The lower lip has three lobes, the centre lobe egg-shaped, 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and 9–10 mm (0.35–0.39 in) wide and the side lobes 5.5–6 mm (0.22–0.24 in) long and 4–4.5 mm (0.16–0.18 in) wide. The upper lip is broadly egg-shaped, 6.5–7 mm (0.26–0.28 in) long and 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) wide and deeply divided into two lobes. Flowering occurs from July to September.[2][3]

Taxonomy

Prostanthera ferricola was first formally described in 1987 by Barry Conn and Kelly Anne Shepherd in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected in the Robinson Ranges in 2006.[2][4]

Distribution and habitat

This mintbush grows in sparse Acacia aneura shrubland in the Murchison and Gascoyne biogeographic regions of Western Australia.[2][3]

Conservation status

Prostanthera ferricola is classified "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife[3] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.[5]

References

  1. "Prostanthera ferricola". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Conn, Barry J.; Shepherd, Kelly A. (2007). "Prostanthera ferricola (Lamiaceae), a new species from Western Australia" (PDF). Nuytsia. 17: 147–152. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Prostanthera ferricola". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. "Prostanthera ferricola". APNI. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  5. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
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