code: 537
Prick out seedlings when big enough to handle
Family: Lamiaceae
Common name: ALPINE MINT BUSH
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 45 cm
Maximum Height: 60 cm
This rare and delightful dwarf is a small, aromatic evergreen shrub with tiny rounded leaves, and orchid-like white or pale lilac flowers with dark purple spots in summer. It occurs in subalpine heath and shrubland amongst granite rocks in New South Wales and Victoria in Australia. In Tasmania, the species is listed as “presumed to be extinct” under the state’s Threatened Species Protection Act.
Sowing advice:
Sow seed at anytime onto good compost in good light. Keep at 15 degrees C. Prick out seedlings when big enough to handle.
Distribution and habitat:
Alpine mint bush occurs in alpine and subalpine closed heath and shrubland in granite-based soils in New South Wales and Victoria, often in association with snow gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora). In Tasmania, the species is listed as “presumed to be extinct” under the state’s Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.In New South Wales it is found south from the Brindabella Range and in north-eastern Victoria at altitudes between about 1,500 and 2,000 m (4,900 and 6,600 ft).
