Prostanthera albiflora facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prostanthera albiflora |
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Prostanthera
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| Species: |
albiflora
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Prostanthera albiflora is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the Lamiaceae family, which includes mints! This plant grows only in the inland parts of Western Australia. It is a tall, bushy shrub with long, narrow leaves. Its flowers are white with light blue spots inside. They grow in groups of two to twelve near the top leaves.
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What Prostanthera albiflora Looks Like
Prostanthera albiflora is a shrub that stands upright and spreads out. It usually grows to be about 0.5 to 2 meters (1.6 to 6.5 feet) tall. Its stems have a square shape when you look at them from the end.
The leaves are usually long and narrow, shaped like an egg or an ellipse. They are light green and measure about 5 to 18 millimeters (0.2 to 0.7 inches) long. They are 3 to 6 millimeters (0.1 to 0.2 inches) wide. Each leaf has a short stem called a petiole, which is about 0.5 to 1.6 millimeters long.
The flowers grow one by one in groups of two to twelve. They appear where the upper leaves meet the stem. Each flower sits on a tiny stalk called a pedicel, which is 1.6 to 3.1 millimeters long.
The flower has leaf-like parts called sepals that form a tube. This tube is 3 to 5 millimeters long. It has two main parts, or lobes. The lower lobe is 2.2 to 3.4 millimeters long. The upper lobe is much longer, from 4.6 to 13 millimeters.
The petals of the flower are white. They have pale blue spots inside. The petals are joined together to form a tube that is 11 to 16 millimeters long. The lower part of the flower has three lobes. The middle lobe is shaped like a spatula. It is 6 to 7.2 millimeters long and 6 to 9 millimeters wide. The two side lobes are 5 to 6 millimeters long and 4 to 5 millimeters wide. The upper part of the flower has two lobes. These are 7.5 to 10 millimeters long and about 13 millimeters wide.
This plant usually flowers in April. It also blooms from August to October.
How Prostanthera albiflora Was Named
Prostanthera albiflora was first officially described in 1988. A scientist named Barry Conn wrote about it. His description was published in a science journal called Nuytsia. The plant samples he used were collected in 1975. They were found between the towns of Agnew and Wiluna.
Where Prostanthera albiflora Grows
This type of mintbush grows along rivers and streams. You can find it in the dry, inland areas of Western Australia. It lives in several different natural regions. These include the Carnarvon, Gascoyne, Little Sandy Desert, Murchison, Pilbara and Yalgoo areas.
Conservation Status
The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife checks on plants. They have classified Prostanthera albiflora as "not threatened." This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
