''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.

Description

''Leptospermum javanicum'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of about and has fibrous bark on the trunk and larger branches. The branchlets are covered with soft hairs when young and have prominent flanges extending from the base of the leaves. The leaves are elliptical to egg-shaped, dark green on the upper surface and much paler below, long, wide. The flowers are white, wide and are borne singly on short side branches on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

up to long. The

floral cup In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It ...

is covered with soft, silky hairs and the edges of the

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 are densely hairy. The

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 are white and the fruit is a woody capsule that is domed above, long and wide.

Taxonomy and naming

''Leptospermum javanicum'' was first formally described in 1826 by

Carl Ludwig Blume Charles Ludwig de Blume or Karl Ludwig von Blume (9 June 1796, Braunschweig – 3 February 1862, Leiden) was a German-Dutch botanist. He was born at Braunschweig in Germany, but studied at Leiden University and spent his professional life wor ...

in the his book ''Bijdragen tot de Flora van Nederlandsch Indie''.

Distribution and habitat

This tea-tree grows at altitudes of between from

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

to western

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It has been given different definitions. The ...

Uses

Isolates from ''L. javanicum'' have shown potential as anti-cancer treatments by inducing

apoptosis Apoptosis (from grc, ἀπόπτωσις, apóptōsis, 'falling off') is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (morphology) and death. These changes incl ...

in lung cancer cells and distorting their ability to undergo

metastasis Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15369265 javanicum Flora of Malesia Flora of Myanmar Plants described in 1827