''Leptospermum'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle

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

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...

commonly known as tea trees, although this name is sometimes also used for some species of ''

Melaleuca ''Melaleuca'' () is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of '' Leptospermum''). They range in size ...

''. Most species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, with the greatest diversity in the south of the continent, but some are

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to other parts of the world, including

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. Leptospermums all have five conspicuous

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s and five groups of

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s which alternate with the petals. There is a single style in the centre of the flower and the fruit is a woody capsule. The first formal description of a leptospermum was published in 1776 by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

botanists Johann Reinhold Forster and his son

Johann Georg Adam Forster Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German natural history, naturalist, ethnology, ethnologist, travel literature, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age ...

, but an unambiguous definition of individual species in the genus was not achieved until 1979. Leptospermums grow in a wide range of habitats but are most commonly found in moist, low-nutrient soils. They have important uses in

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

, in the production of honey and in floristry.

Description

Plants in the genus ''Leptospermum'' range in size from prostrate shrubs to small trees, and have fibrous, flaky or papery bark. The leaves are arranged alternately and are relatively small, rigid and often aromatic when crushed. The flowers may be solitary or in groups, and have bracteoles and

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s which in most species fall off as the flower opens. There are five spreading, conspicuous petals which are white, pink or red. There are many stamens which are usually shorter than the petals and in five groups opposite the stamens, although they often appear not to be grouped. A simple style usually arises from a small depression in the ovary which has from three to five sections in most species, each section containing a few to many

ovule In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the fe ...

s. The fruit is a woody capsule which opens at the top to release the seeds, although in some species this does not occur until the plant, or the part of it, dies.

Taxonomy and naming

The first formal description of a leptospermum was published by Johann Reinhold Forster and Johann Georg Adam Forster in their 1776 book, ''

Characteres Generum Plantarum ''Characteres generum plantarum'' (complete title , "Characteristics of the types of plants collected, described, and delineated during a voyage to islands of the South Seas, in the years 1772–1775 by Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster ...

''. In 1876, George Bentham described twenty species, but noted the difficulty of discriminating between species. ("The species are very difficult to discriminate.") Of the species he named, only ten remain as valid. In 1979,

Barbara Briggs Barbara Gillian Briggs (born 1934) is one of the foremost Australian botanists. The '' IK'' lists 205 names of plants which have been published or co-published by her. She was one of the botanists in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, of th1998APG ...

and

Laurie Johnson Laurence Reginald Ward Johnson, (born 7 February 1927) is an English composer and bandleader who has written scores for dozens of film and television series and has been one of the most highly regarded arrangers of instrumental pop and swing ...

published a classification of the family Myrtaceae in the ''

Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes ''the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches'' and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales ( Australia) in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. History The Society suc ...

''. Although there have been revisions to their groupings, their paper allowed a systematic examination of species in the genus ''Leptospermum''. In 1989,

Joy Thompson Joy Thompson (born Joy Gardiner-Garden, 1923, died 2018) was an Australian botanist. Her main research areas were taxonomy and Myrtaceae. Life & Career Thompson's university studies occurred during the second world war and in university vacatio ...

published a complete revision of the genus. In 2000, O'Brien ''et al.'' published yet another revision, using matK-based evidence to suggest that ''Leptospermum'' is polyphyletic, and should be split into persistent, Western non-persistent, and Eastern non-persistent fruiting plants, with ''Leptospermum spinescens'' as an outlier. However, neither phylogeny has been universally accepted. Current estimates recognize about ninety species of ''Leptospermum''. The common name ''tea tree'' derives from the practice of early Australian settlers who soaked the leaves of several species in boiling water to make a herbal tea.

Distribution and habitat

Most ''Leptospermum'' species are endemic to Australia where most are found in southern areas of the country. They are most common in moist, nutrient-poor soils although they sometimes occupy other situations. '' Leptospermum laevigatum'' is usually found growing on beach sand and '' L. riparium'' growing in

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

n rainforest on the edges of rivers. '' Leptospermum amboinense'' extends from

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

to Southeast Asia and three species, '' L. javanicum'', '' L. parviflorum'' and '' L. recurvum'' are endemic to southeast Asia. ''L. recurvum'' is only found on

Mount Kinabalu Mount Kinabalu ( ms, Gunung Kinabalu, Dusun language, Dusun: ''Gayo Ngaran or Nulu Nabalu'') is the highest mountain in Borneo and Malaysia. With an elevation of , it is List of islands by highest point, third-highest peak of an island on Eart ...

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

. '' Leptospermum scoparium'' is one of the most widespread in the genus and occurs in

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 ...

, Victoria, Tasmania and

, where it is one of the most widespread and important native shrub species.

Ecology

In Australia, ''Leptospermum'' species are sometimes used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of hepialid

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s of the genus ''

Aenetus ''Aenetus'' is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 24 described species found in Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand. Most species have green or blue forewings and reddish hindwings, but some are predomi ...

'', including ''A. lewinii'' and ''A. ligniveren''. These burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down.

Uses

Use in horticulture

Most ''Leptospermum'' species make desirable garden plants. The hardiest species (''L. lanigerum, L. liversidgei, L. polygalifolium, L. rupestre, L. scoparium'') are hardy to about to ; others are sensitive to frost. They tolerate most soils, but many suppliers specify ericaceous (i.e. lime-free) compost with good drainage and full sun. Established plants are

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

tolerant. They are often found as hedge plants on the west coast of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and some species are popular for cultivation as

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...

. Many

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s exist.

Use in floristry

These flowers are also grown in double cultivars and are used in floral designs. However, they do not last when out of water and the single flowers do not last when wired. The 'Pacific Beauty' (''Leptospermum polygalifolium'') is a useful flower to use in large church-service bowls and function arrangements, however use of ''Leptospermum'' in corporate designs is less desirable as they dry and drop when subjected to heating and air conditioning.

Honey production

The

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

from the flowers is harvested by bees, yielding

Leptospermum honey ''Leptospermum'' is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle Family (biology), family Myrtaceae commonly known as tea trees, although this name is sometimes also used for some species of ''Melaleuca''. Most species are endemism, endemic t ...

, which is marketed as Manuka honey. Honey produced from Australian ''

Leptospermum polygalifolium ''Leptospermum polygalifolium'', commonly known as tantoon, jellybush or yellow tea tree, is a species of shrub or tree of the family Myrtaceae that is endemic to eastern Australia, including Lord Howe Island. It has thin bark, elliptical leave ...

'' is also known as ''jelly bush'' or the ''lemon-scented tea tree''.Native honey a sweet antibacterial
''Australian Geographic'', March 3, 2011.

Species

The following is a list of species accepted by the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

as at March 2020, apart from two species ('' L. javanicum'' and '' L. recurvum'') only occurring outside Australia that are accepted by the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...

:Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> *'' Leptospermum amboinense'' Blume - Qld, Malesia *''

Leptospermum anfractum ''Leptospermum anfractum'' is a species of spreading shrub that is endemic to Queensland. It has a smooth, twisted trunk, linear leaves, white flowers borne in leaf axils and bell-shaped to hemispherical fruit. It grows on rocky ridges and cliff ...

A.R.Bean Anthony Russell Bean (born 1957) is an Australian botanist who works at the Queensland Herbarium and Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha. Since 1982, he has led the Eucalyptus Study Group of the Society for Growing Australian Plants. Caree ...

- Qld *''

Leptospermum arachnoides ''Leptospermum arachnoides'', commonly known as the spidery tea-tree,Les Robinson – Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, page 52 is a species of shrub that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough bark, crowded linear to lance-sha ...

Gaertn. Joseph Gaertner (12 March 1732 – 14 July 1791) was a German botanist, best known for his work on seeds, ''De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum'' (1788-1792). Biography He was born in Calw, and studied in Göttingen under Albrecht von Haller ...

spidery tea-tree - Qld, NSW *''

Leptospermum argenteum ''Leptospermum argenteum'', commonly known as the Mt Royal tea-tree, is a species of shrub that is Endemism, endemic to the higher parts of Barrington Tops in New South Wales. It has smooth bark, stems with a flange along the sides, broad leaves, ...

'' Joy Thomps. Mt Royal tea-tree - NSW *'' Leptospermum barneyense'' A.R.Bean - Qld *'' Leptospermum benwellii'' A.R.Bean - NSW *''

Leptospermum blakelyi ''Leptospermum blakelyi'' is a species of shrub that is endemic to rocky clifftops near Lithgow in New South Wales. It has densely silky young stems, egg-shaped to elliptical leaves and white or pink flowers. Description ''Leptospermum blakel ...

'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *''

Leptospermum brachyandrum ''Leptospermum brachyandrum'' is a species of shrub or small tree that is Endemism, endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, linear to lance-shaped leaves and white flowers and usually grows along creeks, often in water. Description ''L ...

'' (

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victo ...

) Druce - Qld, NSW *'' Leptospermum brevipes'' F.Muell. slender tea-tree - Qld, NSW, Vic *''Leptospermum brevipes F.Muell. × Leptospermum microcarpum'' Cheel - Qld *'' Leptospermum confertum'' Joy Thomps. - WA *''

Leptospermum continentale ''Leptospermum continentale'', commonly known as prickly tea-tree, is a species of slender, straggling shrub that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has sharp-pointed, narrowly egg-shaped leaves, white flowers arranged singly in leaf axil ...

'' Joy Thomps. prickly tea-tree - NSW, Vic, SA *'' Leptospermum coriaceum'' (F.Muell.) Cheel green tea-tree, mallee teatree - NSW, Vic, SA *''

Leptospermum crassifolium ''Leptospermum crassifolium'' is a species of shrub that is endemic to the Budawang Range in New South Wales. It has thin, rough bark that is shed annually, broadly elliptic leaves, white flowers borne singly on short side branches, and woody fru ...

'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *'' Leptospermum deanei'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *''

Leptospermum deuense ''Leptospermum deuense'' is a species of shrub that is endemic to New South Wales. It is a leafy, densely branched shrub with rough bark on the older stems, elliptical leaves with a glossy upper surface, white flowers arranged singly or in pairs ...

'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *'' Leptospermum divaricatum'' Schauer - NSW *''

Leptospermum emarginatum ''Leptospermum emarginatum'', commonly known as the twin-flower tea-tree or twin flower teatree, is a species of shrub that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has rough bark on the older stems, lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end to ...

'' H.L.Wendl. ex Link - NSW, Vic *''

Leptospermum epacridoideum ''Leptospermum epacridoideum'' is a species of plant that is endemic to a restricted area of the South Coast of New South Wales. It is a bushy shrub with compact bark, elliptical to more or less circular leaves, white flowers arranged singly on ...

'' Cheel - NSW *''

Leptospermum erubescens ''Leptospermum erubescens'', commonly known as the roadside tea tree, is a species of shrub that is endemic to southwest of Western Australia. It has thin, fibrous bark, egg-shaped leaves, small white flowers and woody fruit. Description ''Lept ...

'' Schauer - WA *''

Leptospermum exsertum ''Leptospermum exsertum'' is a small, sparsely branched shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has thick, wedge-shaped to heart-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, often with a sharply pointed tip, white flowers arranged ...

'' Joy Thomps. - WA *'' Leptospermum fastigiatum'' S.Moore - WA, SA *'' Leptospermum glabrescens'' N.A.Wakef. - Vic *''

Leptospermum glaucescens ''Leptospermum glaucescens'', commonly known as the blue-green tea tree or smoky tea tree, is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to Tasmania. It has elliptical to egg-shaped leaves that are often greyish green, white flowers about ...

'' S.Schauer - Tas *'' Leptospermum grandiflorum'' Lodd. G.Lodd. & W.Lodd. - Tas *'' Leptospermum grandifolium''

Sm. __NOTOC__ Sir James Edward Smith (2 December 1759 – 17 March 1828) was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society. Early life and education Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a ...

- NSW, Vic *'' Leptospermum gregarium'' Joy Thomps. - Qld, NSW *''

Leptospermum incanum ''Leptospermum incanum'' is a species of compact shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has hairy young stems, elongated egg-shaped leaves on a short petiole, relatively large white or pink flowers and fruit that fall from the plant when ...

Turcz. Nikolai Stepanovich Turczaninow ( ru , Николай Степанович Турчанинов, 1796 in Nikitovka, now in Krasnogvardeysky District, Belgorod Oblast, Russia – 1863 in Kharkov) was a Russian botanist and plant collector who ...

- WA *''

Leptospermum inelegans ''Leptospermum inelegans'' is a species of straggly shrub that is Endemism, endemic to Western Australia. It has only partly hairy young stems, egg-shaped to narrow elliptical leaves on a short Petiole (botany), petiole, relatively small white or ...

'' Joy Thomps. - WA *''

Leptospermum javanicum ''Leptospermum javanicum'' is a species of tree that is native to Myanmar, western and central Malesia. It has fibrous bark on the trunk, leaves that are much paler on the lower surface, relatively large white flowers and woody fruit. Descriptio ...

'' Blume - Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines *''

Leptospermum jingera ''Leptospermum jingera'', commonly known as the stringybark tea-tree, is a species of shrub that is endemic to Victoria, Australia. It has papery bark on the larger branches, smooth bark on the younger stems, narrow egg-shaped to elliptical leav ...

Lyne Lyne may refer to: Places * Division of Lyne, an electoral division in New South Wales, Australia * Lyne, Denmark, a town in southwest Denmark * Lyne, Surrey a village in southern England * River Lyne, a river of Cumbria in England * Lyne, Sco ...

Crisp CRISP may refer to: * Center for Research in Security and Privacy, largest research center for IT security in Europe * C-language Reduced Instruction Set Processor, an AT&T microprocessor design * Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Pat ...

- Vic *''

Leptospermum juniperinum ''Leptospermum juniperinum'', commonly known as the prickly tea tree, is a species of broom-like shrub that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has narrow, sharply pointed leaves, white flowers usually arranged singly on short side shoots and sma ...

'' Sm. - Qld, NSW *'' Leptospermum laevigatum'' (

) F.Muell. - NSW, Vic, SA, Tas *'' Leptospermum lamellatum'' Joy Thomps. - Qld *''

Leptospermum lanigerum ''Leptospermum lanigerum'', commonly known as the woolly teatree, is a small tree or medium shrub from the plant family ''Myrtaceae''. Its common name derives from the conspicuously hairy capsules produced as fruit, along with the fine, silky hai ...

'' ( Sol. ex Aiton) Sm. - Qld, NSW, Vic, SA, Tas *''

Leptospermum liversidgei ''Leptospermum liversidgei'', commonly known as the olive tea-tree, is a species of compact shrub that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has narrow egg-shaped, lemon-scented leaves, white or pink flowers and woody fruit that remain on the plan ...

R.T.Baker Richard Thomas Baker (1 December 1854 – 14 July 1941) was an Australian economic botanist, museum curator and educator. Early life Baker was born in Woolwich, England, son of Richard Thomas Baker, a blacksmith, and his wife Sarah, née Colkett ...

H.G.Sm. Henry George Smith (26 July 1852 – 19 September 1924) was an Australian chemist whose pioneering work on the chemistry of the essential oils of the Flora of Australia, Australian flora achieved worldwide recognition. Smith was born at Littleb ...

- Qld, NSW *''

Leptospermum luehmannii ''Leptospermum luehmannii'' is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has glossy green elliptic leaves, white flowers and fruit that falls from the plant shortly after the seeds are released. Description ''Leptosperm ...

F.M.Bailey Frederick Manson Bailey (8 March 1827 – 25 June 1915) was a botanist active in Australia, who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora of Queensland. He was known by his middle name, Manson. Early life Bailey was b ...

- Qld, NSW *'' Leptospermum macgillivrayi'' Joy Thomps. - WA *'' Leptospermum macrocarpum'' ( Maiden &

Betche Daniel Ludwig Ernst Betche (31 December 1851, in Potsdam – 28 June 1913, in Sydney) was a German-Australian horticulturist and botanist. His mother died at his birth and he was of delicate constitution all his life. His father was sufficient ...

) Joy Thomps. - NSW *'' Leptospermum madidum'' A.R.Bean - Qld, WA, NT **''Leptospermum madidum'' A.R.Bean subsp. ''madidum'' - Qld **''Leptospermum madidum'' subsp. ''sativum'' A.R.Bean - WA, NT *'' Leptospermum maxwellii'' S.Moore - WA *''

Leptospermum microcarpum ''Leptospermum microcarpum'' is a species of shrub that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has elliptical to lance-shaped leaves with a sharp point on the tip, white flowers and small fruit that falls from the plant shortly after the seeds are ...

'' Cheel - Qld, NSW *''

Leptospermum micromyrtus ''Leptospermum micromyrtus'' is a species of spreading shrub that is endemic to higher areas of south-eastern Australia. It has broad, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, white flowers and fruit that remain on the plant at ...

'' Miq. - NSW, Vic *'' Leptospermum minutifolium''

C.T.White Cyril Tenison ("C.T.") White (17 August 1890 – 15 August 1950) was an Australian botanist. Early life White was born in Brisbane to Henry White, a trade broker, and Louisa ''nee'' Bailey. He attended school at South Brisbane State School, an ...

- Qld, NSW *'' Leptospermum morrisonii'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *'' Leptospermum multicaule''

A.Cunn. Allan Cunningham (13 July 1791 – 27 June 1839) was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in Australia to collect plants. Early life Cunningham was born in Wimbledon, Surrey, England, the son of Allan Cunnin ...

- NSW, ACT, Vic *'' Leptospermum myrsinoides''

Schltdl. Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal (27 November 1794, Xanten – 12 October 1866, Halle an der Saale, Halle) was a German botanist. He studied in Berlin, in 1819 becoming curator of the Botanical Garden in Berlin, Royal Herbarium. He was ...

- NSW, Vic, SA *''

Leptospermum myrtifolium ''Leptospermum myrtifolium'', commonly known as the myrtle tea-tree or grey tea-tree, is a species of shrub that is Endemism, endemic to south eastern Australia. It has broad egg-shaped to elliptical leaves, white flowers usually borne singly on ...

'' Sieber ex

DC. Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...

- NSW, ACT, Vic *'' Leptospermum namadgiense'' Lyne - NSW, ACT *'' Leptospermum neglectum'' Joy Thomps. - Qld *'' Leptospermum nitens'' Turcz. - WA *''

Leptospermum nitidum ''Leptospermum nitidum'', commonly known as shiny tea-tree, is a species of compact shrub that is endemic to Tasmania. It has crowded, aromatic, elliptical leaves, white flowers about in diameter and fruit that remain on the plants until it is b ...

Hook.f. Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of t ...

- Tas *''

Leptospermum novae-angliae ''Leptospermum novae-angliae'' is a species of shrub that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has elliptical leaves that are usually crowded, single white flowers on short shoots and fruit that remain on the plant until it dies. It usually grows ...

'' Joy Thomps. - Qld, NSW *'' Leptospermum obovatum'' Sweet - NSW, Vic *'' Leptospermum oligandrum'' Turcz. - WA *''

Leptospermum oreophilum ''Leptospermum oreophilum'', commonly known as the rock tea tree, is a shrub that is endemic to the Glass House Mountains in southern Queensland. It has firm, rough bark on the older stems, elliptical leaves with a short, blunt point on the tip, ...

'' Joy Thomps. - Qld *''

Leptospermum pallidum ''Leptospermum pallidum'' is a species of spreading shrub that is Endemism, endemic to Queensland. It has thin, firm, rough bark, narrow lance-shaped leaves, white flowers arranged in groups of two or three on side shoots and fruit that remains o ...

'' A.R.Bean - Qld *''

Leptospermum parvifolium ''Leptospermum parvifolium'', commonly known as lemon-scented tea-tree, is a species of shrub that is Endemism, endemic to eastern Australia. It has thin, rough bark, egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, white or pink flowers ...

'' Sm. - Qld, NSW *''

Leptospermum petersonii ''Leptospermum petersonii'', commonly known as lemon-scented teatree, is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has thin, fibrous or flaky bark, often strongly-scented elliptic to lance-shaped leaves, white fl ...

'' F.M.Bailey - Qld, NSW *''

Leptospermum petraeum ''Leptospermum petraeum'' is a rigid, spreading plant that is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It has thin, flaky bark, young stems that are hairy at first, aromatic, elliptical leaves, relatively large white flowers and fruit th ...

'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *'' Leptospermum polyanthum'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *''

Salisb. Richard Anthony Salisbury, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (born Richard Anthony Markham; 2 May 1761 – 23 March 1829) was a British botanist. While he carried out valuable work in horticultural and botanical sciences, several bitter disputes ...

- Qld, NSW, Lord Howe Island ** ''Leptospermum polygalifolium'' subsp. ''cismontanum'' Joy Thomps. - Qld, NSW ** ''Leptospermum polygalifolium'' subsp. ''howense'' Joy Thomps. - Lord Howe Island ** ''Leptospermum polygalifolium'' subsp. ''montanum'' Joy Thomps. ** ''Leptospermum polygalifolium'' Salisb. subsp. ''polygalifolium'' - NSW **''Leptospermum polygalifolium'' subsp. ''transmontanum'' Joy Thomps. - Qld, NSW **''Leptospermum polygalifolium'' subsp. ''tropicum'' Joy Thomps. - Qld *''

Leptospermum purpurascens ''Leptospermum purpurascens'', commonly known as the purple-stemmed turkey bush, is a shrub or small tree that is endemic to far north Queensland, Australia. It has bark that is purple when new, elliptical to broadly lance-shaped leaves, relativ ...

'' Joy Thomps. - Qld *''

Leptospermum recurvum ''Leptospermum recurvum'' is a species of shrub or tree that is native to Mount Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo and to Sulawesi. It has pale, flaky bark, broadly elliptical to almost round leaves, white flowers about wide and fruit that tend to rem ...

'' Hook.f. - Sabah, Sulawesi *'' Leptospermum riparium'' D.I.Morris - Tas *'' Leptospermum roei''

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

- WA *''

Leptospermum rotundifolium ''Leptospermum rotundifolium'', commonly known as round-leaved tea tree, is a species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales, naturalised in Victoria and Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with more or ...

'' (Maiden & Betche) F.A.Rodway - NSW *'' Leptospermum rupestre'' Hook.f. - Tas *'' Leptospermum rupicola'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *'' Leptospermum scoparium''

J.R.Forst. Johann Reinhold Forster (22 October 1729 – 9 December 1798) was a German Reformed (Calvinist) pastor and naturalist of partially Scottish descent who made contributions to the early ornithology of Europe and North America. He is best known ...

G.Forst. Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold F ...

- Vic, NSW, Tas, NZ *'' Leptospermum sejunctum'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *'' Leptospermum semibaccatum'' Cheel - Qld, NSW *'' Leptospermum sericatum''

Lindl. John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

- Qld *'' Leptospermum sericeum'' Labill. - WA *'' Leptospermum speciosum'' Schauer - Qld, NSW *''

Leptospermum spectabile ''Leptospermum spectabile'' is a species of shrub that is Endemism, endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It has thin bark, narrow elliptic leaves, dark red flowers arranged singly on short side shoots and relatively large fruit. Descripti ...

'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *'' Leptospermum sphaerocarpum'' Cheel - NSW *'' Leptospermum spinescens''

Endl. Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Pressburg, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botan ...

- WA *'' Leptospermum squarrosum''

- NSW *'' Leptospermum subglabratum'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *''

Leptospermum subtenue ''Leptospermum subtenue'' is a species of small shrub in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It has thick, elliptical, concave leaves, white or pink flowers and fruit that falls from the plant when mature. It occurs to the s ...

'' Joy Thomps. - WA *'' Leptospermum thompsonii'' Joy Thomps. - NSW *'' Leptospermum trinervium'' (Sm.) Joy Thomps. - Qld, NSW, Vic *'' Leptospermum turbinatum'' Joy Thomps. - Vic *'' Leptospermum variabile'' Joy Thomps. - Qld, NSW *'' Leptospermum venustum'' A.R.Bean - Qld *''

Leptospermum whitei ''Leptospermum whitei'' is a species of shrub that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has fibrous, flaky bark, elliptical leaves, white flowers arranged in small groups on the ends of short side branches, and fruit that falls from the plant when ...

'' Cheel - Qld, NSW *'' Leptospermum wooroonooran'' F.M.Bailey - Qld

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q135621 Myrtaceae genera Taxa named by Georg Forster