Prostanthera ovalifolia

R. Br.

Purple Mint-bush, Oval leafed mint bush

LamiaceaeLeaves
Prostanthera ovalifolia
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc-nd
(c) Brent Miller, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
Prostanthera ovalifolia
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc-sa
(c) Tony Marsh, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
Prostanthera ovalifolia
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Philippa Gordon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Philippa Gordon

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves - flavouring

The leaves have a mint flavor and are used to flavor jams and jellies.

Where to Find It

A temperate plant. It can grow in the subtropics. It needs well drained soil. It can grow in full sun or light shade. It grows on the coast as well as inland. It can stand light frost. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. Arboretum Tasmania.

Australia*, Tasmania,

Countries: Australia

How to Identify

A dense shrub. It can be 2-4 m tall. It can spread 1.2-3 m wide. The leaves are narrowly sword shaped. They are 4 cm long by 1 cm wide. The edges can have teeth. The leaves have a strong smell. The flowers are purple and 1 cm long. They are in short crowded clusters.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Prostanthera ovalifolia, commonly known as the oval-leaf mintbush or purple mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect shrub with egg-shaped leaves and groups of mauve to deep blue-purple flowers arranged in groups at the ends of branchlets.

References (14)
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  • Prodr. 509. 1810
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  • www.ceres.org.au/bushfoodcatalogue

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