Prostanthera carrickiana

Prostanthera carrickiana, commonly known as Carrick's mintbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to a restricted area in the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy branchlets, elliptical leaves pinkish-red flowers.

Description
Prostanthera carrickiana is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.5-1 m and has cylindrical, densely hairy branchlets. The leaves are elliptical, glabrous, 13–14 mm long, 5.5–8 mm wide on a petiole 0.7–1 mm long. The flowers are arranged singly in two to six leaf axils near the ends of branchlets, each flower on a pedicel 2.5–2.8 mm long. The sepals are green, 6.5–7.5 mm long and form a tube 4.5–6 mm long with two lobes about 2 mm long and 3.5–4 mm wide. The petals are pinkish-red, 23–26 mm long and form a tube 13–15 mm long. The lower lip has three lobes, the centre lobe broadly egg-shaped and concave, 2.5–3.5 mm long and 3.5–4 mm wide and the side lobes 1.5–2 mm long and 2.5–4 mm wide. The upper lip has two egg-shaped lobes 6–6.5 mm long and 8–10 mm wide. Flowering occurs from April to May.

Taxonomy
Prostanthera carrickiana was first formally described in 1987 by Barry Conn in the journal Muelleria from specimens collected in the Clyde Hill Nature Reserve. The specific epithet honours the botanist John Carrick.

Distribution and habitat
Carrick's mintbush grows in mallee with a low shrubby understorey but is only known from the Clyde Hill Nature Reserve in the Mallee biogeographic region.

Conservation status
Prostanthera carrickiana is classified as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife, meaning that is rare or near threatened.