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Myrtaceae FAMILY

Leptospermum lanigerum

Leptospermum lanigerum

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
GrowthMedium

Leptospermum lanigerum is not a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate short periods with temperatures down to around -8°c when fully dormant[1]. Plants are hardy to about -15°c in Britain[2]. Grows best in a sunny position, tolerating partial shade[1, 3]. Succeeds in almost any neutral or acid soil of good or reasonable quality, preferring a light sandy loam[1]. Grows best in an acid sandy soil[4]. Prefers a position sheltered from hot or cold drying winds[1]. Another report says that it tolerates fairly exposed positions and that has been our experience with it[PFAF]. Polymorphic[5]. There are two distinct forms grown in Britain, one with smallish greyish leaves is sometimes known as Leptospermum cunninghamii, the second form has larger narrow glossy green leaves[6]. Plants seldom grow taller than about 2 metres in Britain. Resents root disturbance[1]. Does not regenerate from old wood[1]. Unlike several species in this genus, this plant can be pruned severely if necessary[3]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination is usually quick and easy, though seed obtained from Tasmanian plants can be slow[3]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and give some protection from the cold for their first winter or two outdoors. The seed remains viable for many years. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8 cm with a heel, early August in a frame. Over-winter in the greenhouse for its first year. Good percentage[7]. Cuttings of almost mature wood, 4 - 5 cm with a heel, autumn in a frame. Good percentage[7]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Leptospermum+lanigerum>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  3. [3]Australian Native Plants Society — http://anpsa.org.au/index.html ↩︎A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc.
  4. [4]Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books, London. · 1998 · ISBN 0-330-37376-5 ↩︎Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.
  5. [5]Australian Native Plants. — Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. · Collins. (Australia) · 1988 · ISBN 0-7322-0021-0 ↩︎A lovely book, written in order to encourage Australian gardeners to grow their native plants. A little bit of information for the plant project.
  6. [6]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
  7. [7]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  8. [8]VicFlora - Flora of Victoria — https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/ ↩︎An om-line flora for the state of Victoria, Australia.
  9. [9]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  10. [10]The Useful Native Plants of Australia. — Maiden J.H. · Turner & Co.; London. · 1889 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  11. [11]Flora of Victoria. — Ewart. A. J. · University Press; Melbourne · 1930 ↩︎A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.
  12. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎