Common name: Victorian Christmas Bush
Prostanthera williamsii B.J.Conn & K.M.Proft APNI* 
Description: Spreading shrub 1–2 metres tall. Branchlets with nodes sparsely covered by antrorse to spreading hairs, whereas elsewhere mostly glabrous or with occasional hairs on ridges of lateral grooves, moderately to densely glandular.
Leaves glabrous, dark green above, paler below; petiole to 4–15 mm long; lamina very narrowly ovate to very narrowly elliptic, 37–64 mm long, 5.5–10 mm wide, moderately glandular with sessile glands most distinctive on the abaxial surface, base tapering to cuneate, margin slightly to strongly recurved, entire, apex tapering, venation faint with midrib and basal secondary veins slightly raised on abaxial surface; slightly aromatic when crushed.
Inflorescence compound, with 15–20 flowers; pherophylls not persistent, ovate, 2–3 mm long, 1–2.5 mm wide. Pedicel 2–2.5 mm long. Prophylls persistent, elliptic, often appearing linear, 2–2.5 mm long, 0.4–0.6 mm wide. Calyx green, sparsely to moderately covered by antrorse hairs, moderately glandular, tube 2–3 mm long, abaxial lobe 2–2.5 mm long, adaxial lobe 1–1.5 mm long. Corolla 9–11 mm long very pale lilac to almost white, with dull yellow to orange-brown, spots in throat. Stamens 4.1–5.3, connective appendage 0.8–1.3 mm long.
Fruiting calyx not larger that flowering calyx (not accrescent). Mericarps c. 2 mm long.
Flowering: November to January.
Distribution and occurrence: Oxley Wild Rivers National Park and Apsley Gorge National Park. NSW subdivisions: NT. Open forest with mixed Allocasuarina and Eucalyptus canopy.
NSW subdivisions: NT
Text by T.C.Wilson
Taxon concept: Conn BJ, Henwood MJ, Proft KM, Scott JA, Wilson TC, Howes RS (2021) An integrative taxonomic approach resolves the Prostanthera lasianthos (Lamiaceae) species complex. Australian Systematic Botany 34(5) 438–476
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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