Family: Myrtaceae
Plant: A tall dense shrub up to 3m high with a smooth, flaky bark.
Flowers: White flowers with 5 round spreading petals and numerous stamens surrounding a 1.5-2cm diameter central disc, usually 2 flowers together, and often with a reddish ring round base of stamens.
Flowering: July-October.
Fruit: Small green flat-topped capsule, 7-8mm diameter with 6-11 seed chambers, not hairy and falling early.
Leaves: Grey-green, usually narrow obovate, 1.5-3cm long and 5-8mm wide with 3 veins visible. Oil dots can be seen on the leaves. The leaves are rounded near the tip and end with a very small point.
Habitat: Usually in dense scrub behind the sand dunes and on coastal headlands.
Features: Green capsule with 6-11 chambers. Oil dots on leaves. White 5-petalled flowers with many stamens around a central disc. Grey-green leaves with oil dots.
Name:
Leptospermum
From Greek lepto = slender and spermum = seed (referring to its seed capsule)
laevigatum From Latin = smooth, polished (referring to its capsule)
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Type |
Shrub |
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|
Flowers |
Form |
Regular, Single |
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|
Colour(s) |
White |
|
|
Petal/Sepal No. |
5 |
|
|
Flowering Month |
7, 8, 9, 10 |
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Fruit |
Type |
Capsule |
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|
Colour |
Green, Grey |
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|
Other Features |
- |
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Leaves |
Arrangement |
Alternate |
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|
Type |
Simple |
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Shape |
Oval, Spoon |
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Length |
Tiny, Short |
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|
Margins |
Entire |
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Attachment |
Stalked, Unstalked |
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|
Other Features |
Aromatic, Oil |
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|
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dots/Glands |
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Bark |
Smooth, Papery/Flaky |
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|
Habitat |
Beach strand, Heathland |
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