Common name: river mint, native mint
Mentha australis R.Br. APNI* 
Description: Soft herb, often sprawling, sometimes erect; branches often tinged purple, glabrous or hairy.
Leaves with lamina narrow-ovate, 1.2–6 cm long, 8–20 mm wide; apex acute; margins with 4–14 teeth; shortly hairy; petiole 0–5 mm long.
Flowers in dense 3–12-flowered clusters in axil of a pair of leaves. Calyx 13-veined, fused to at least two-thirds its length; lobes pointed, densely covered with short spreading hairs. Corolla 5–7 mm long, white or pink. Anthers exserted.
Flowering: February–October
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in clay-rich soils, particularly near rivers and creeks, or in clay depressions in sandplain country; widespread in inland districts, west from the Burrinjuck area.
NSW subdivisions: ?CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. Tas. S.A. N.T.
A number of cultivars are grows as herbs; many of these have become naturalized. They usually grow in moist places, along streams or in river courses.
Text by B. J. Conn
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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