There is some confusing information about the two different weeping tea trees, so I’ll try to take some better pictures. However, for some reason, my camera and my iPhone sometimes give my photos a diffused effect that looks like a filter.
My favourite Leptospermum, the Australian version of the weeping willow. My favorite because it is more resilient than other ornamental Leptospermums and, of course, because I love the way it weeps.
Often Leptospermum madidum is sold as L brachyandrum. According to reports, L. brachyandrum has exposed trunks with flaky, grey and soft pink colored bark. (see photo of truck). Despite the fact that both and all of their subspecies, in my opinion, belong to the same species, different sports have developed over time.
Seeds are usually collected from tree/plant shown in photo. Happy to answer any questions you may have.
In any case, this Tea Tree was bought from a nursery and was not naturally growing there. The seeds were taken from a species planted in a garden near Mackay, in a neighborhood where people like to “clip” (I almost included a photo of the neighbors showing their clipped bottlebrushes, which is very funny!). However, it is well suited to the climate, which includes sand, humidity, and seasonal flooding. They are naturally found throughout the Queensland coast and the upper half of the NSW coast, typically in or near watercourses, close to rivers, or in moist soil. However, they have also been discovered in dry, rocky areas. Therefore, they do well during droughts when there isn’t seasonal water logging. Suited to the typical Australian weather. They are also frost hardy.
The tiny seeds are germinated in specialist nurseries by either soaking the seed in aerated water for several days to soften the hard exterior coat before being diluted in a gel or alternatively by mixing the seed thoroughly with a diluent (usually fine sand) and planting them out into seedling cells to germinate.
Tea trees can be damaged by certain insect pests, and unfavorable conditions like persistent flooding or drought can lower oil yields. Depending on the depth and length of the inundation, flood damage varies. Two recent flood events occurred, one in January 2008 that resulted in extensive damage to a number of plantations and the loss of many hectares of productive plantations, and another in April 2009 that, despite being devastating to many communities, did not cause widespread loss or damage to plantations. This may be because the flood occurred in the winter when the water is cooler and because the flood waters receded fairly quickly.
To make sure they are strong enough to survive being transplanted into prepared fields at planting rates of 25 000 – 35 000 trees per hectare depending on the climate and soil type, the seedlings are thinned to one per cell when they are about 2 – 4 weeks old and grown for between 2 and 4 months.
The myrtle family, of which Melaleuca is a member, contains well over 200 species, the majority of which are native to Australia. Depending on the species, they can reach heights of 2 to 30 meters as shrubs or trees. The leaves are ovate to lanceolate in shape, evergreen, alternately arranged, and dark green to grey-green in color. For some Melaleuca species, the bark is frequently flaky and exfoliates, hence the name “paper-bark.” Flowers are produced in dense clusters along the stem and range in color from white through yellow or even greenish to pink and red. They have tiny, finely divided petals and a compact cluster of stamens, which mature into a small, woody, cup-shaped capsule with up to 60 000 tiny seeds per gram. The tannins from the leaves of this and related species cause many watercourses to turn brown, giving them the common name “tea tree.” Alternatively, it has been claimed that Captain James Cook gave the tea tree its name after observing the indigenous Bundjalung people of eastern Australia use the leaves to make a medicinal tea.
In the early days (see History for more details) of the tea tree industry, the oil was manually harvested from natural stands of M. alternifolia and distilled in crude bush stills. Improvements in seed cultivars and increased worldwide demand for the oil led to commercial plantations being developed, initially from seed harvested from natural stands, but more recently using improved seed from the jointly funded ATTIA, RIRDC and DPI Tea Tree Breeding Program which has improved oil yields by up to 90%. This critical improvement has enabled the Australian tea tree industry to maintain a competitive edge while preserving the natural environmental balance to sustain and maintain future resources.
The genus Leptospermum, which includes widely cultivated tree species like the Australian tea tree (L), is where tea trees are found. laevigatum) and New Zealand tea tree (L. scoparium). Both species are widely grown within U. S. Zones 9 through 11 of the Department of Agriculture are where they can flourish in both inland and coastal environments. Tea trees can be successfully propagated from seeds, which germinate most effectively when planted right away. Tea tree seeds don’t need to be pretreated or scarified in order to sprout successfully, but they do need to be kept in conditions that are sufficiently moist and bright to ensure a successful outcome.
Samantha McMullen began writing professionally in 2001. Her work, which has been published in magazines like Mother Earth News, is informed by her nearly 20 years of horticulture experience.