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Leptospermum

 
Leptospermum

 
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Leptospermum
 
 
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Leptospermum is a genus of about 80-86 species of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae

The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtus, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here....
. Most species are endemic to Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, with the greatest diversity in the south of the continent; but one species extends to New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, another to Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
, and L. recurvum
Leptospermum recurvum

Leptospermum recurvum is a species of Leptospermum native to Malaysia. It grows on Mount Kinabalu on ultramafic soil and is notable for being able to tolerate the high levels of toxic metals present in these soils....
 is endemic to Malaysia.

They are shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s or occasionally small tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s, reaching 1-8 m tall, rarely up to 20 m, with dense branching. The leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 are evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
, alternate, simple, sharp-tipped, and small, in most species not over 1 cm long.






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Leptospermum is a genus of about 80-86 species of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae

The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtus, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here....
. Most species are endemic to Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, with the greatest diversity in the south of the continent; but one species extends to New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, another to Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
, and L. recurvum
Leptospermum recurvum

Leptospermum recurvum is a species of Leptospermum native to Malaysia. It grows on Mount Kinabalu on ultramafic soil and is notable for being able to tolerate the high levels of toxic metals present in these soils....
 is endemic to Malaysia.

They are shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s or occasionally small tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s, reaching 1-8 m tall, rarely up to 20 m, with dense branching. The leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 are evergreen
Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant having leaf all year round. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage for part of the year....
, alternate, simple, sharp-tipped, and small, in most species not over 1 cm long. The flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s are up to 3 cm diameter, with five white, pink or red petals.

Uses

The common name of 'tea tree
Tea tree

Tea tree or Ti-tree is a popular name that has been applied to a number of different, unrelated plants:*Camellia sinensis , from which black, green, oolong and white tea are all obtained....
' used for some species of Leptospermum derives from the practice of early Australian settlers of soaking the leaves of several species in boiling water to make a herbal tea rich in ascorbic acid
Ascorbic acid

Ascorbic acid is a sugar acid with antioxidant properties. Its appearance is white to light-yellow crystals or powder. It is water-soluble. The L-enantiomer of ascorbic acid is commonly known as vitamin C....
 (Vitamin C
Vitamin C

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish....
). It is said that Captain Cook brewed tea of Leptospermum leaves to prevent scurvy amongst his crews.

The nectar from the flowers is harvested by bee
Bee

Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants. Bees are a monophyly lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila....
s; this is used to make Leptospermum honey
Leptospermum honey

Leptospermum honey is honey made from the tree species Leptospermum, found in New Zealand and Australia. Honey from these trees has a particularly strong anti-bacterial effect, even in a 10 percent dilution....
. Manuka
Leptospermum scoparium

Leptospermum scoparium is a shrub or small tree native to New Zealand and southeast Australia. It is found throughout New Zealand but is particularly common on the drier east coasts of the North Island and the South Island, and in Australia in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales....
 honey has strong antibacterial and antifungal properties.

In Australia, Leptospermum species are sometimes used as food plants by the larva
Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
e of hepialid
Hepialidae

The Hepialidae is a Scientific classification of insects in the lepidopteran Scientific classification. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths....
 moth
Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the Order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy....
s of the genus Aenetus
Aenetus

Aenetus is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 24 described species found in Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand....
, including A. lewinii and A. ligniveren. These burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down.

Most Leptospermum species make desirable garden
Garden

A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials....
 plants. The hardiest species (L. lanigerum, L. liversidgei, L. polygalifolium, L. rupestre, L. scoparium) are hardy to about −8°C to −10°C; others are sensitive to frost. They tolerate most soils and exposures with good drainage and full sun. Established plants are drought
Drought

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation ....
 tolerant. They are often found as hedge plants on the west coast of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, and some species are popular for cultivation as bonsai
Bonsai

Bonsai 'Bonsai' is a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier Chinese term penzai . The word bonsai is used in the West as an umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots....
. Many cultivar
Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when Plant propagation it retains those characteristics....
s exist.