Common name: Lilac Mint Bush
Prostanthera caerulea R.Br. APNI* 
Description: Erect shrub, 0.5–3 m high, slightly aromatic; branches 4-ridged, densely covered with ± sessile glands and with sparse, short, curled hairs on the ridges.
Leaves with lamina narrow-ovate, occasionally ovate, 18–65 mm long, 6–22 mm wide; apex obtuse to subacute; base cuneate to narrow-obtuse; margins slightly to strongly toothed; surfaces mid green, glabrous; petiole 2–12 mm long.
Flowers in a terminal botryoid; bracteoles not persistent, 2.5–3 mm long. Calyx 4–6 mm long; tube 2–4 mm long; upper lobe 2–3 mm long, not enlarged in fruit. Corolla 10–12 mm long, white to bluish mauve. Anthers with appendage c. 0.5 mm long.
Flowering: September–November
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in heath and wet sclerophyll forest on sandy soil, mainly in gullies and rocky areas; north from the Wollongong district.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT
Other Australian states: Qld
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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