Myrtaceae FAMILY

Leptospermum laevigatum

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Leptospermum laevigatum is an evergreen shrub or small tree that can grow up to 5 metres tall and wide[ 397 Title Australian Native Plants Society Publication Author Website http://anpsa.org.au/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc. , 1109 Title VicFlora - Flora of Victoria Publication Author Website https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An om-line flora for the state of Victoria, Australia. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a tea. It is used in soil stabilization projects in Australia and New Zealand[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. ], and is also often grown as an ornamental, where it can be used as a hedge. Leptospermum laevigatum is a native of coastal heath communities, tolerant of salt spray and invading coastal vegetation. It can form extensive and dense thickets that displace the native vegetation. The masses of fine roots in the top soil allow an efficient exploitation of soil moisture and competition with native plants. It has escaped from cultivation and is a serious environmental weed in southern Western Australia and also in South Africa and Hawaii. It would probably be best to not plant it outside of its natural range[ 305 Title Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk Publication Author Website http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands. , 397 Title Australian Native Plants Society Publication Author Website http://anpsa.org.au/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeAustralia - Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales

HabitatFound mainly on sand dunes and the coastlines of south and south-east Australia, occasionally inland on sandy soils, often in harsh windswept places where it only grows about 1 metre tall[ 167 Title A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Publication Author Holliday. I. and Hill. R. Publisher Frederick Muller Ltd. Year 1974 ISBN 0-85179-627-3 Description A well illustrated and very readable book, but it does not contain much information for the plant project. ].