Mentha diemenica
Spreng. Slender MintRhizomatous, often mat-forming herb; branches ascending or prostrate, often rooting at lower nodes, with short, sparse to dense, recurved hairs. Leaves ovate (rarely elliptic), 6–20 mm long, 4–12 mm wide, at least lower surface with scattered, short erect hairs, apex subacute to rounded, margin entire or sometimes sparsely serrate; petiole 0–3 mm long. Flowers in (1–)3–8-flowered clusters in axils of distal leaves; pedicels much shorter than calyx. Calyx 3–5 mm long, 13-ridged, lobes narrowly to broadly acute, up to c. two-thirds length of tube, with scattered to dense short hairs outside, inside and margins with sparse to dense long hairs; corolla purple, often pale, exceeding calyx by 0.5–2 mm, lobes c. 1–2 mm long, the posterior one emarginate to bilobed; anthers usually shortly exserted. Flowers throughout the year.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, Brid, VVP, VRiv, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, MonT, VAlp. Also SA, Qld, NSW, ACT, Tas. Scattered in seasonally moist to dryish, often shaded habitats mostly south of the Great Dividing Range (some mapped, unvouchered records from northern Victoria may refer to M. satureoides).
Var. serpyllifolia (Benth.) J.H. Willis includes plants with small (usually no longer than 1 cm long) entire leaves, and flowers usually solitary in axils. Plants with the above characteristics appear to be confined in Victoria to Wilsons Promontory and islands of Corner Inlet. However, a wide range of specimens of apparently intermediate character occur through southern Victoria and it is doubtful that the variety warrants formal status. See also notes under Mentha satureioides.
Conn, B.J. (1999). Lamiaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae, pp. 418–459. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
