Leptospermum spinescens

Leptospermum spinescens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Eudicots
Clade:Rosids
Order:Myrtales
Family:Myrtaceae
Genus:Leptospermum
Species: L. spinescens
Binomial name
Leptospermum spinescens

Leptospermum spinescens, commonly known as the spiny tea tree,[1] is a member of the Myrtaceae family endemic to Western Australia.[2]

The spinescent shrub typically grows to a height of 0.3 to 1.5 m (1 to 5 ft). It blooms between September and December producing cream-white flowers.[2] It has a twisted and open form and usually has a width around 1 m (3 ft). The leaves are bright green with a narrow elliptical shape with a length of 1.5 cm (0.6 in). It has brown, corky bark and sharp spines at the end of branchlets. The white flowers are crowded together and have a diameter around 1.5 cm (0.6 in) with green centres.[3] The plant has persistent fruiting capsules that are roughly 2 cm (0.8 in) across and are often partially buried in the corky bark.[4]

It is found in kwongan or shrubland[4] on hills and sand plains in the Wheatbelt, Great Southern, and southern Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia, where it grows in sandy and lateritic soils.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Leptospermum spinescens Spiny Tea-tree". Nindethana Native Seeds. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Leptospermum spinescens". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  3. ↑ "Leptospermum spinescens". Australian National Herbarium. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 Margaret G. Corrick and Bruce Alexander Fuhrer (2009). Wildflowers of Southern Western Australia. Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 9781877058844.


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