Dense mintbush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dense mintbush |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Prostanthera
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| Species: |
decussata
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
The Dense Mintbush (Prostanthera decussata) is a special kind of flowering plant. It's found only in south-eastern Australia. This plant is a thick, bushy shrub that smells very strong, like mint! It has small, egg-shaped leaves and pretty mauve or violet flowers with yellow stripes. You can usually find these flowers growing near the ends of its branches.
What Does the Dense Mintbush Look Like?
The Dense Mintbush is a thick, bushy shrub with a strong minty smell. It usually grows up to about 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall.
Its leaves are shaped like small eggs. They are about 4 to 7 millimeters long and 1 to 3.5 millimeters wide. Some leaves attach directly to the stem, while others have a very short stalk, less than 1 millimeter long. The top of the leaves is dark green, and the underside is a lighter green.
The flowers grow where the leaves meet the stem, especially near the ends of the branches. Each flower has small leaf-like parts called bracteoles at its base, which are about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long. The sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the flower bud, are about 3.5 to 4 millimeters long. They form a short tube with two parts at the top. The petals are usually mauve or violet, but sometimes they can be pinkish. They are about 6 to 8 millimeters long. You can see these flowers blooming from October to March.
How Did it Get its Name?
This plant was officially named in 1859 by a botanist named Ferdinand von Mueller. He was the Victorian Government Botanist at the time. He wrote about it in his book, Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. He named it based on plants he found in the mountains near the Macalister River in Victoria.
The second part of its scientific name, decussata, comes from a Latin word. It means "formed crosswise like the letter X." This might refer to how its leaves or other parts are arranged.
Where Does it Grow?
The Dense Mintbush grows in different types of natural areas. You can find it in open heathlands, forests, and woodlands. It grows in the eastern part of Victoria, in the Australian Capital Territory, and mostly in the south-eastern part of New South Wales.
