Leptospermum laevigatum


Leptospermum laevigatum, commonly known as the coast tea tree, is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia, but has been widely introduced in other places where it is often considered to be a weed. It has thin, rough bark on the older stems, narrow egg-shaped leaves, relatively large white flowers and flat topped fruit that is shed shortly after reaching maturity.

Description

Leptospermum laevigatum is a bushy shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of and has thin, rough bark on the older stems. The young stems are covered with silky hairs at first and have a groove near the base of the petiole. The leaves are greyish green, narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide on a short petiole. The flowers are borne on short side shoots, usually in pairs of different ages, and are usually wide. There are many reddish brown bracts around the flower buds but most fall off as the flower opens. The floral cup is mostly, long with the upper part expanded. The sepals are triangular, about long, the petals white, long and the stamens long. Flowering mainly occurs from August to October and the fruit is a capsule wide with the remains of the sepals initially attached. The fruit mostly fall from the plant shortly after reaching maturity.

Taxonomy and naming

This teatree was first formally described in 1788 by Joseph Gaertner who gave it the name Fabricia laevigata and published the description in his book De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum. In 1858, Ferdinand von Mueller changed the name to Leptospermum laevigatum. The specific epithet is from a Latin word meaning "made smooth" or "having a polished surface".

Distribution and habitat

Leptospermum laevigatum is native to New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania where it grows in heath, sometimes forest and on coastal dunes and cliffs south from Nambucca Heads in New South Wales to Anglesea in Victoria and northern Tasmania. It has also been introduced to Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and countries overseas including southern Africa, New Zealand, Hawaii and the Central Coast of California.

Ecology

Coast teatree is salt-resistant, very hardy and is commonly used in amenities plantings and coastal plantings. It has also been planted in Western Australia where it has become a weed.
This species has been planted along the Central Coast of California in the United States to stabilize sand. It is known there as the Australian tea tree. The seeds can be dispersed by wind and water.
It has now become naturalised in New Zealand, southern Africa, California and Hawaii.
The larvae of Holocola thalassinana feed on Leptospermum laevigatum.

Cultivation

L. laevigatum is planted widely as a garden ornamental or display tree. It is useful as a windbreak or hedging plant and for the rapid stabilisation of sandy soils, and in rehabilitation areas where construction or mining has taken place.