About Prostanthera nivea A.Cunn. ex Benth.
Prostanthera nivea is an erect or spreading shrub that grows between 1 and 4 meters (3 feet 3 inches to 13 feet 1 inch) tall. It has four-ridged branches and is not aromatic. Its leaves are linear to roughly cylindrical, 10 to 50 millimeters (0.39 to 1.97 inches) long, 0.5 to 2 millimeters (0.020 to 0.079 inches) wide, and sessile. Flowers grow in leaf axils near the ends of branches, with inconspicuous bracteoles at the base that can reach up to 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) long. The sepals are 6 to 8 millimeters (0.24 to 0.31 inches) long, forming a tube 3 to 4 millimeters (0.12 to 0.16 inches) long with two lobes; the upper lobe is 3 to 5 millimeters (0.12 to 0.20 inches) long. Petals are white to mauve, 14 to 18 millimeters (0.55 to 0.71 inches) long, with yellow spots inside the petal tube. Flowering takes place from September to December. This species, commonly called snowy mint-bush, grows in forest, woodland, and heath habitats in south-eastern Queensland, eastern New South Wales, and Victoria. The subspecies Prostanthera nivea subsp. induta grows in rocky crevices or on ledges in the Warrumbungles, with only a single collection recorded from the Pilliga forest.
