Leptospermum trinervium

Leptospermum trinervium, commonly known as flaky-barked tea-tree, slender tea-tree[2] or paperbark tree,[3] is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has papery bark that is shed in thin, flaking layers, narrow elliptic to broadly egg-shaped leaves with the narrower at the base, white flowers and silky-hairy fruit that falls from the plant when mature.

Flaky-barked tea-tree
Leptospermum trinervium in the Royal National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Leptospermum
Species:	L. trinervium
Binomial name
Leptospermum trinervium (Sm.) Joy Thomps.[1]
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[1]
List Leptospermum attenuatum Sm. Leptospermum attenuatum Sm.var. attenuatum Leptospermum gnidiaefolium DC. orth. var. Leptospermum gnidiifolium DC. Leptospermum pendulum Sieber ex Spreng. Leptospermum pendulum Sieber ex DC. isonym Leptospermum stellatum Cav. p.p. Leptospermum stellatum f. angustifolium Domin Leptospermum stellatum f. fallax Domin Leptospermum stellatum Cav. f. stellatum p.p. Leptospermum stellatum var. grandiflorum Benth. Leptospermum stellatum Cav. var. stellatum p.p. Leptospermum stellatum var. typicum Hochr. nom. inval. p.p. Melaleuca ? trinervia Sm.

Description

Leptospermum trinervium is a shrub or small tree that typically grows to a height of 2–6 m (6 ft 7 in–19 ft 8 in) and has papery bark that is shed in thin, flaking strips. The leaves are narrow elliptical to broadly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 9–22 mm (0.35–0.87 in) long and 1–6 mm (0.039–0.236 in) wide, the tip usually blunt and the base tapering to a short petiole. The flowers are white, about 7–15 mm (0.28–0.59 in) wide and arranged singly or in pairs on the ends of short side shoots. The floral cup is densely covered with silky hairs, about 3 mm (0.12 in) long tapering to a pedicel of variable length. The sepals are also hairy, oblong to triangular, about 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long, the five petals 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long and the stamens 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in) long. Flowering mostly occurs from September to October near the coast and from November to December on the tablelands. The fruit is a capsule 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) wide with the remains of the sepals attached and that falls the plant at maturity.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy

This tea-tree was first described in 1790 by James Edward Smith who gave it the name Melaleuca ? trinervia and published the description in John White's Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales.[5][6]

Distribution and habitat

Flaky-barked tea-tree mainly grows in forest but is also found in heath and scrub, especially among sandstone rocks. It occurs on the coast and tablelands south from Rockhampton in Queensland through eastern New South Wales to near coastal scrubland and woodland in far eastern Victoria.[2][3][4]

Use in horticulture

Leptospermum trinervium is a hardy, although not showy plant, the bark being its most unusual feature. It can be propagated from seed or from cuttings and is frost hardy.[7]

References

1. "Leptospermum trinervium". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
2. "Leptospermum trinervium". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
3. "Leptospermum trinervium". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
4. Thompson, Joy (1989). "A revision of the genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae)". Telopea. 3 (3): 366–368.
5. "Leptospermum trinervium". APNI. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
6. Smith, James Edward; White, John (ed.) (1790). Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales. London: John Debrett. p. 229. Retrieved 13 June 2020.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
7. "Leptospermum trinervium". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 14 June 2020.