Woody > Prostanthera > Prostanthera cuneata > Prostanthera cuneata
Prostanthera cuneata
Alpine Mint Bush
Origin: Native to Australia (Tasmania). The genus name comes from the Greek word, 'prostheke', meaning appendage, and the Latin word, 'anthera', which means anther: this is in reference to the flower's spur-like anthers.
| Family |
| Lamiaceae |
| Genus |
| Prostanthera |
| Species |
| cuneata |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Shrub (evergreen) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 8b - 9a |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 8a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H4 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -9 - (-4) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| 15 - 25 |
| Height |
| 0.5 - 1 m |
| Spread |
| 0.5 - 1 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Awards
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Prostanthera cuneata is a small, dense evergreen shrub with tiny, mint-scented, glossy green leaves and white cup-shaped flowers whose centres are purple-spotted. It is the only species of its genus tolerant of cooler temperatures. |
| Cultivation |
| Grow in a sheltered location, in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Intolerant of hard pruning. Can be grown under glass in a loam-based compost. |
| Growth |
| Medium |
| Pests |
| Glasshouse red spider mite may be a problem. |
| Leaf Description |
| Up to 6 mm, ovate to orbicular with a wedge-shaped base, margins curved, bright shiny green, arranged oppositely in rosettes about the stem. Leaves of Prostanthera yield a strong, sweet minty scent when crushed. |
| Flower Description |
| Numerous, cup-shaped, up to 12 mm in diameter, petals are white with tiny dark purple spots in the throat, arranged in terminal clusters. |
| Notable Specimens |
| RHS Garden Rosemoor, North Devon, England. |
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