Prostanthera tysoniana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prostanthera tysoniana |
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| Genus: |
Prostanthera
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| Species: |
tysoniana
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
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Prostanthera tysoniana is a cool flowering plant from the mint family, called Lamiaceae. It only grows in Western Australia, making it a special plant found nowhere else! This plant is a small, bushy shrub with lots of tangled branches. Its leaves are shaped like wide ovals and grow in pairs. When it blooms, you'll see pretty white or cream flowers with cool purple stripes.
Contents
What it Looks Like
Prostanthera tysoniana is a shrub that usually grows to be about 0.2 to 0.5 meters tall. That's like a small bush! It has many branches that cross over each other, and its stems are square-shaped.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of this plant grow in pairs, one across from the other. They are shaped like wide ovals or are almost round. Each leaf is tiny, only about 2 to 4 millimeters long and wide.
The flowers grow one by one where the leaves meet the stem. They sit on a small, fuzzy stalk called a pedicel, which is about 1 to 3 millimeters long. At the base of the sepals (the leaf-like parts that protect the flower bud), there are tiny leaves called bracteoles.
The sepals are about 3 millimeters long and have two parts. The petals are white or cream-colored with purple stripes. They are about 9 to 12 millimeters long and form a tube about 5 millimeters long. The flower has two "lips." The bottom lip has three parts, and the top lip has two parts. You can see these beautiful flowers in September.
Plant Names and History
This special mintbush was first officially described in 1997 by a botanist named John Carrick. He gave it the name Eichlerago tysoniana. He wrote about it in a science journal called Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. He studied plant samples collected by Isaac Tyson way back in 1898 near the Murchison River.
Later, in 1992, another botanist named Barry Conn changed its name to Prostanthera tysoniana. This new name was published in a journal called Telopea.
Where it Grows
Prostanthera tysoniana is a rare plant. It's only found in a small area of Western Australia, specifically around the Byro-Mount Narryer area. This region is part of what scientists call the Murchison biogeographic region.
Protecting the Plant
The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife has given Prostanthera tysoniana a special status: "Priority Three". This means that not much is known about this plant, and it's only found in a few places. However, it's not currently in immediate danger of disappearing. Scientists keep an eye on plants with this status to make sure they stay safe!
