Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Leptospermum juniperinum

Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Flowers, nuts, and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Shrub. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Wilsons Promontary National Park, Vic

Common name

Prickly tea-tree

Family

Myrtaceae

Where found

Dry forest, heath, along streams, and swamps. Widespread.

Notes

Shrub to 4 m tall. Leaves usually with sharp points. Bark rough and finely fissured. Younger stems often with fine hairs, with a conspicuous flange curving about the stem. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, alternating up the stems, mostly 0.5-1.5 cm long, usually 1-2 mm wide, silvery-silky but soon becoming hairless; bases usually tapering slightly, stalk more or less absent. Flowers 6-12 mm acros, with 5 white or greenish white to pink petals, usually single. Flowers are produced on new growth. Flowers irregularly, mostly Spring to Summer. Nuts rather long-persisting, rarely more than 7 mm in diameter.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Leptospermum~juniperinum (accessed 22 January, 2021)

Additional information in: Thompson, J. (8 December 1989), A revision of the genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae). Telopea 3(3): 418-420, map 8-60