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Myrtaceae
Australian Tea Tree
Leptospermum laevigatum
Healing and cleansing.
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Genus
- Leptospermum
- Native to
- Australia
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- shrub
- Height
- 10-20 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- sandy, well-drained, acidic
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 9-11
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Captain James Cook brewed the leaves to make tea for his crew, which is how it got its common name.
- Tea tree oil, famous worldwide as an antiseptic, comes from a closely related species (Melaleuca alternifolia).
- The bark peels in papery strips and was used by Aboriginal Australians for wrapping food and lining coolamons.
- In coastal areas, its gnarled, wind-sculpted trunks can develop a remarkably artistic twisted form.
- The plant produces nectar that bees use to make highly prized Manuka-type honey.
Color meanings
0
purification
1
healing