About Prostanthera hirtula F.Muell. ex Benth.
Prostanthera hirtula, also commonly known as hairy mintbush, is a spreading shrub that is strongly aromatic and covered in dense, more or less spreading hairs. It typically grows between 0.4 and 2 meters (1 foot 4 inches to 6 feet 7 inches) in height. Its leaves are mid-green, shaped from narrow egg-shaped to narrow elliptic, densely glandular on the lower surface, 10–30 mm (0.39–1.18 in) long, 1.5–6 mm (0.059–0.236 in) wide, and grow from a petiole 0.5–2 mm (0.020–0.079 in) long. Flowers are borne in leaf axils near the ends of branchlets, with bracteoles around 2 mm (0.079 in) long at their base. The sepals are 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long, forming a tube around 3 mm (0.12 in) long with two lobes, and the upper lobe is 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long. The petals are dark mauve and 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long. Flowering takes place in spring. This species grows on elevated, rocky sites in woodland and open forest. It is distributed in New South Wales from the Blue Mountains to the Budawang Range, and in southern Victoria.
