Grey germander

Description

Teucrium racemosum, also commonly referred to as either the grey germander or forest germander, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is endemic to Australia and is found in all mainland states, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. It grows in floodplains, dry lake beds and open woodlands. A perennial herb, it has four-sided, densely hairy stems, narrow egg-shaped leaves, and white flowers usually arranged singly in leaf axils. It grows to be between 15 and 40 cm tall. Teucrium racemosum is a perennial herb that grows to a height of between 15 and 40 cm (5.9 and 15.7 in). It is a root suckering plant, meaning that it spreads by pushing up new shoots around the perimeter of its original base. Due to this root suckering ability, it is not uncommon for the Teucrium racemosum to spread to a diameter of several metres. The stems are white or greyish and densely covered with curved hairs pressed against the stem but that are usually lost from the stem's ridges. The leaves are a narrow oval shape, densely hairy, especially on the lower surface, usually 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long and 2–6 mm (0.079–0.236 in) wide. The edges of the leaves are sometimes somewhat lobed, rolled under or wavy. The flowers are usually arranged singly in leaf axils near the ends of branches on a pedicel that is 5–18 mm (0.20–0.71 in) long. The pedicel is often horizontal near its far end with the flower held erect. The sepals are 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long, densely hairy and fused at the base for about half of their length. The petals are 8–14 mm (0.31–0.55 in) long, with the lower middle lobe usually 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long, the four stamens 8–14 mm (0.31–0.55 in) long. Flowering occurs from September to June. Teucrium racemosum was first described in 1810 by Scottish botanist Robert Brown in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae. Teucrium is a genus of the family Lamiaceae. The genus Teucrium was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his work Species Plantarum in 1753. Teucrium has around 300 species, of which 13 are endemic to Australia. Teucrium racemosum is found in all states and territories of Australia apart from Tasmania. It grows on floodplains, dry lake beds and open woodlands. It is also often found around ephemeral lakes or disturbed areas. also often found around ephemeral lakes or disturbed areas that are usually uninhabitable for most other plants.