Woolly tea-tree
Leptospermum lanigerum
Synonyms: Leptospermum lanigerum var. montanum, Leptospermum pubescens f. angustifolium, Fabricia pubescens, Fabricia sericea, Leptospermum sericophyllum, Leptospermum lanigerum var. pubescens, Leptospermum candollei, Leptospermum splendens, Leptospermum pubescens, Leptospermum villosum, Leptospermum pubescens f. vestitum, Leptospermum australe, Leptospermum pilosum, Leptospermum lanigerum var. discolor, Leptospermum cuspidatum, Leptospermum ovalifolium, Leptospermum microphyllum, Leptospermum pubescens var. tonsum, Leptospermum lanigerum var. concolor, Leptospermum microphyllum var. viride, Fabricia incana, Fabricia minor, Leptospermum cuneatum, Leptospermum tonsum, Leptospermum tomentosum, Leptospermum microphyllum var. glaucum, Leptospermum pubescens f. minor, Leptospermum grandifolium var. vestitum
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Botanical Description
Leptospermum lanigerum, commonly called woolly tea-tree, is a highly variable evergreen shrub or small tree in the Myrtaceae family, growing as a large spreading or erect shrub to 3 m in most of its range but reaching up to 18 m as a slender tree in montane Tasmania. The species is characterized by oblong leaves 4-20 mm long with slightly rolled margins and a dense covering of fine silky hairs that give the foliage a silvery-grey appearance. Solitary or paired white five-petalled flowers with numerous central stamens are borne in spring along the branches and are followed by persistent hairy woody capsules that require fire or extreme desiccation to open and release seed. The species is native to waterlogged habitats including coastal heaths, riverbanks, swamp margins, and montane woodlands across southeastern Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania), and tolerates poor, acid, periodically inundated soils.
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