Mallee Teatree

Appearance

''Leptospermum coriaceum'' is a spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of 2 m. It has rough bark that is shed annually on the larger branches and smooth bark on the younger stems.

The leaves are egg-shaped to lance-shaped or elliptical, 8–20 mm long and 3–5 mm wide with a short, blunt point on the tip and a short petiole at the base.

The flowers are 12–15 mm in diameter and are borne in pairs on short shoots in leaf axils. The floral cup is sessile, glabrous or silky, 1.5–2.5 mm long. The sepals are triangular, 1.5–2 mm long, the petals white, 4–7 mm long and the stamens 1–2 mm long. Flowering occurs from June to October or November and the fruit is a woody capsule 5–8 mm wide and that falls off the plant when the seeds are released.

Naming

The green tea-tree was first formally described in 1856 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name ''Fabricia coriacea'' and published the description in a paper in the journal ''Nederlandsch Kruidkundig Archief''. In 1923, Edwin Cheel changed the name to ''Leptospermum coriaceum''. The specific epithet is a Latin word meaning "leathery".

Distribution

''Leptospermum coriaceum'' grows in mallee and heath in deep sandy soil on sand dunes from southern South Australia and north western Victoria to south of Cobar in inland New South Wales.

Habitat

''Leptospermum coriaceum'' grows in mallee and heath in deep sandy soil on sand dunes from southern South Australia and north western Victoria to south of Cobar in inland New South Wales.