''Kunzea ambigua'', commonly known as white kunzea, poverty bush or tick bush, is a plant in the myrtle

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

, Myrtaceae and is found mainly on

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

soils in eastern Australia. Growing up to high and wide, it bears small white flowers in spring. Used in native gardening, it attracts native insects. It is also used in amenities planting and

sand dune stabilization Sand dune stabilization is a coastal management practice designed to prevent erosion of sand dunes. Sand dunes are common features of shoreline and desert environments. Dunes provide habitat for highly specialized plants and animals, including rar ...

Description

''Kunzea ambigua'' is a small- to medium-sized spreading shrub that may reach both in height and width, though is usually much smaller (from ). Its bark is fibrous and furrowed, while the narrow lanceolate green leaves are 0.5–1.3 cm in length and 0.2 cm wide, with hairy new growth. Occurring from September to December or January, the white flowers are 1.2 cm in diameter and sweetly fragrant. The stamens are longer than the petals. The flowers are followed by small woody capsules 0.4 cm in diameter.Elliot ''et al.'', p. 16-17

Taxonomy and naming

''Kunzea ambigua'' was first formally described in 1797 by

James Edward Smith James Edward Smith may refer to: * James Edward Smith (botanist), English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society * James Edward Smith (murderer), American murderer * James Edward Smith (politician), Canadian businessman and mayor of Toronto * ...

who gave it the name ''Leptospermum ambiguum''. English botanist

George Claridge Druce George Claridge Druce, MA, LLD, JP, FRS, FLS (23 May 1850 – 29 February 1932) was an English botanist and a Mayor of Oxford. Personal life and education G. Claridge Druce was born at Potterspury on Watling Street in Northamptonshire. ...

gave it its current binomial name in 1917. The generic name honours German naturalist

Gustav Kunze Gustav Kunze (4 October 1793, Leipzig – 30 April 1851, Leipzig) was a German professor of zoology, an entomologist and botanist with an interest mainly in ferns and orchids. Kunze joined the Wernerian Natural History Society in Edinburgh in 18 ...

, while the specific epithet is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

adjective ''ambiguus'' meaning "doubtful" or "uncertain". Its common names are white kunzea and tick bush. A pale pink-flowered hybrid with '' Kunzea capitata'' has been recorded from Stony Range Flora reserve in

Dee Why Dee Why is a coastal suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of Northern Be ...

in Sydney's northern beaches region.

Distribution and habitat

''Kunzea ambigua'' is found from northeastern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, having been recorded in the Grand High Tops of the

Warrumbungle National Park Warrumbungle National Park is a heritage listed national park located in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The national park is located approximately northwest of Sydney and contained within . The park attracts approximately vi ...

, through

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and into

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. It grows on

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...

y soils in coastal or near-coastal regions. It is a very common dry forest shrub of the Sydney region, and regenerates in disturbed or cleared areas. It is associated with scrub she-oak ('' Allocasuarina distyla''), '' Melaleuca nodosa'', cheese tree (''

Glochidion ferdinandi ''Glochidion ferdinandi'', with common names that include cheese tree (see below), is a species of small to medium–sized trees, constituting part of the plant family Phyllanthaceae. They grow naturally across eastern Australia, from south–ea ...

'') in heath or scrub, and with red bloodwood (''

Corymbia gummifera ''Corymbia gummifera'', commonly known as red bloodwood, is a species of tree, rarely a mallee, that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, tessellated bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups o ...

''), peppermint gum (''

Eucalyptus piperita ''Eucalyptus piperita'', commonly known as Sydney peppermint and urn-fruited peppermint, is a small to medium forest tree native to New South Wales, Australia. Description It has grey, rough and finely fibrous bark on its trunk, but its branche ...

''), forest red gum ('' Eucalyptus tereticornis''), woolybutt ('' E. longifolia''), thin-leaved stringybark ('' E. eugenioides''), and white feather honeymyrtle ('' Melaleuca decora'') in forested areas. In

Wilsons Promontory Wilsons Promontory, is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria. South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia. Located at nea ...

in Victoria, ''Kunzea ambigua'' is the dominant species within scattered areas of treeless heath that occur on granite hills and mountains. In recent times, it has been discovered that the ''Kunzea ambigua'' plant grows abundantly in

Flinders Island Flinders Island, the largest island in the Furneaux Group, is a island in the Bass Strait, northeast of the island of Tasmania. Flinders Island was the place where the last remnants of aboriginal Tasmanian population were exiled by the colo ...

and North East Tasmania. Tasmania regularly experiences strong westerly winds and a high annual rainfall of over 700mm. This harsh, windy and brisk climate is the ideal environment for the ''Kunzea ambigua'' plant to thrive.

Ecology

Insects are the main pollinators of ''Kunzea ambigua''; these include various types of beetles including jewel beetles ( Buprestidae), scarab beetles (

Scarabaeidae The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several sub ...

), flower beetles ( Mordellidae), and checkered beetles (

Cleridae Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The family Cleridae has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences. Cleridae have many niches and fe ...

) as well as butterflies, flies, bees and wasps. The tick bush is killed by fire and regenerates from seed. Plants can also colonise unburnt sites with ample sunlight.

Use in horticulture

It was one of the first species of Australian plant introduced into cultivation in England. It is a hardy and adaptable plant that is used in windbreaks and

plantings, as well as gardens, particularly in Australian gardens using native plants according to principles of

natural landscaping Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants and adapted species, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are local to the geographic area of the garden. Benefits Maintenance Natural land ...

. The species attracts Australian native insects, and can provide shelter for small birds and the

long-nosed bandicoot The long-nosed bandicoot (''Perameles nasuta''), a marsupial, is a species of bandicoot found in eastern Australia, from north Queensland along the east coast to Victoria. Around long, it is sandy- or grey-brown with a long snouty nose. Omnivor ...

(''Perameles nasuta''). It can regenerate quickly after disturbance, suggesting it may have

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

y potential if planted outside its natural range.

Therapeutic benefits

''Kunzea ambigua'' is registered with the

Therapeutic Goods Administration The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is the medicine and therapeutic regulatory agency of the Australian Government. As part of the Department of Health and Aged Care, the TGA regulates the quality, supply and advertising of medicines, p ...

for use in "Kunzea Pain Relief Cream" and "Vita Future Nasal Congestion Relief".

References

External links

*
Plantnet site
of Royal Botanic Gardens NSW, showing herbarium record within New South Wales {{Taxonbar, from=Q3200495 ambigua Flora of New South Wales Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia) Garden plants of Australia Myrtales of Australia Taxa named by George Claridge Druce Plants described in 1797