Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Leptospermum petersonii
Common name
Lemon-scented teatree
Family
Myrtaceae
Where found
Near wet forest or rainforest, along streams, and on rocky escarpments. Coast and ranges north from the Sydney region.
Notes
Shrub or small tree to 5 m high or more. Bark on smaller stems smooth, shedding in stringy strips, fibrous, flaky, and rough on larger stems. Younger stems hairy, soon hairless. A conspicuous wide flange around each leaf base and extending down the stem. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, often strongly lemon-scented, alternating up the stems, usually 2–4 cm long, 2–5 mm wide, margins flat or curved down, surfaces mostly hairless; tips usually rounded with a small notch; bases tapering; stalkless. Flowers 10–15 mm in diameter, with 5 white petals, usually single, rarely two together. Flowers mostly Summer. Nuts about 6 mm in diameter, surface flaking, persisting on slender branches but not on old wood.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Leptospermum~petersonii (accessed 25 January, 2021)
Additional information in: Thompson, J. (8 December 1989), A revision of the genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae). Telopea 3(3): 393-395, map 6-43
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