PlantNET Home DONATE TODAY | PlantNET Home | Search NSW Flora | Contact Us  
FloraOnline
Introduction
Plant Name Search
Index Search
Spatial Search
Identification Keys
Classification
Glossary
WeedAlert
Telopea Journal
Other Data Sources
NEW SOUTH WALES FLORA ONLINE Printable Page

Genus Leptospermum Family Myrtaceae

Description: Shrubs or trees; bark rough, fibrous or flaky.

Leaves alternate, often small and ± rigid, margins entire; often aromatic when crushed, occasionally lemon-scented; sessile to shortly petiolate.

Flowers solitary, sessile in axils of bracts on condensed shoots. Flowers 5-merous. Hypanthium obtuse or tapered at the base, glabrous, villous or silky appressed-hairy. Sepals imbricate, persistent or deciduous. Petals spreading, white, pink or red, not persistent. Stamens numerous, usually shorter than petals, in 5 bundles opposite the petals but appearing free; anthers opening by slits, with a gland near the connective. Ovary 5-locular; placentation axile and usually just above the middle of the central axis; ovules few to numerous; style simple, usually with the base inset; stigma entire or ± lobed.

Fruit a rigid or woody capsule, summit domed, opening with 5 woody valves; seeds irregularly linear and striate. Fruit of most species remaining on the plant for some years.


Illustration
L. Elkan

Flower
Photo D. Hardin

Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 34 species, South-East Asia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand. Australia: 29 species, eastern States.

Key edited by Peter G. Wilson and Kerry Gibbons 21 Jul. 2020. Please let us know via the 'contact us' link on the green banner above if you notice any problems with this key.

Text by Revised by Peter G. Wilson July 2023.
Taxon concept: Taxon concept revised following description of segregate genera by Wilson & Heslewood (2023) Taxon 72: 550–571.

 Key to the species 
1Sepals developing a line of dehiscence and falling, though tardily so in a few species; stem flanges present or absent2
Sepals persistent; stem flanges absent21
2Hypanthium with a tapered base and pedicel often 3–4 mm long; leaves usually 20–30 mm long and 3–7 mm wide, apex retuseLeptospermum emarginatum
Hypanthium base broad or if narrowed pedicel c. 1 mm long; leaves various
                       Back to 1
3
3Leaves incurved in cross section and pungent-pointed; style stout and straight-sided with a characteristic relatively large flat stigma4
Leaves not both incurved and pungent-pointed, or if so then style tapering and stigma not relatively large
                       Back to 2
8
4Leaves mostly spreading5
Leaves erect and rather dense, giving a broom-like appearance to the plant
                       Back to 3
7
5Flowers usually c. 10 mm diam., usually white; produced on new growth; hypanthium tapering near base6
Flowers variable, usually 10–20 mm diam., sometimes shorter or longer, often pink; produced on short shoots from older branches; hypanthium rounded at base
                       Back to 4
Leptospermum squarrosum
6Most leaves >3 mm wide, broadest below the middle and tapering above and below; fruit 6–9 mm diam.Leptospermum scoparium
Most leaves <3 mm wide, broadest at base and tapering upward; fruit 5–7 mm diam.
                       Back to 5
Leptospermum continentale
7Short and robust shrubs with flowers 10–12 mm diam.; fruit 6–10 mm diam.Leptospermum rupicola
Tall slender shrubs with flowers 6–10 mm diam.; fruit rarely >7 mm diam.
                       Back to 4
Leptospermum juniperinum
8Anther loculi long and not opening wide9
Anther loculi broader than long when open, and opening wide
                       Back to 3
12
9Flowers c. 8 mm diam.; stamens longer than the short petals; leaves dense, obovate and thick, mostly 2–4 mm long, glossyLeptospermum minutifolium
Flowers c. 10 mm or more diam.; stamens shorter than the petals; leaves various but usually >5 mm long and not glossy
                       Back to 8
10
10Bark lifting and flaking; leaves variable but often thick with the surface at least somewhat (often strongly so), incurved in cross section, the apex tapering, acute or acuminate, usually pungent; anther loculi usually parallelLeptospermum novae-angliae
Bark fibrous and ± compact; leaves flat or with the margins somewhat recurved, the apex broad- to narrow-acute or blunt or bluntly rounded, rarely pungent-pointed; anther loculi usually divergent
                       Back to 9
11
11Flowers usually c. 15 mm diam.; leaves mostly 15–35 mm long and 2–8 mm wide, usually with 3 conspicuous longitudinal veins and aromaticLeptospermum morrisonii
Flowers usually c. 10 mm diam.; leaves various but rarely >20 mm long and usually 2–3 mm wide, neither conspicuously 3-veined nor aromatic
                       Back to 10
Leptospermum polygalifolium
12Fruit much broader than long, with a wide woody rim; leaves dense, usually 5–7 mm long and 1–2 mm wide, lemon-scentedLeptospermum liversidgei
Fruit and leaves not as above
                       Back to 8
13
13Bark loosely fibrous, `stringy'; leaves narrow-elliptic to lanceolate, 20–40 mm long and 2–5 mm wide, acute, rounded or retuse and often lemon-scentedLeptospermum petersonii
Bark various; leaves various, never lemon-scented
                       Back to 12
14
14Leaves, at least most of them, with a distinct though often short petiole, the apex usually broad, the size and shape various, glabrous or pubescent15
Leaves sessile, tapering to the apex, 10–20 mm long, 2–8 mm wide, obovate to oblanceolate to elliptic, glabrous
                       Back to 13
20
15Stamens 4–6 mm long; flowers often pink, usually 20–30 mm diam.; leaves mostly ± circularLeptospermum rotundifolium
Stamens <3.5 mm long; flowers white or almost so, ≤15 mm diam.; leaf shape various
                       Back to 14
16
16Sepals glabrous or with ciliate margins; leaves green and glabrous at least for the most part17
Sepals pubescent, at least in part; leaves grey-green and pubescent or ultimately green and glabrous, the young growth grey with a silvery pubescence
                       Back to 15
18
17Stems branching at c. 30°; leaves narrow-oblanceolate to very broad-obovate, apex usually retuse; fruit rounded above a short stalkLeptospermum obovatum
Stems branching at 60° or more; leaves obovate to almost circular, apex usually broadly rounded; fruit base rounded or turbinate
                       Back to 16
Leptospermum micromyrtus
18Fruit almost globose before opening; stem flanges inconspicuous; leaves mostly obovate, 5–10 mm long and 2–5 mm wideLeptospermum myrtifolium
Fruit broader than long; stem flanges conspicuous; leaves mostly obovate to oblanceolate or broad-obovate to elliptic
                       Back to 16
19
19Hypanthium conspicuously flared in the upper part; leaves very broad-obovate to elliptic, ultimately glabrous but greyish silky on young growthLeptospermum argenteum
Hypanthium not conspicuously flared in the upper part; leaves obovate to oblanceolate, pubescence of young growth soon giving way to short irregular hairs
                       Back to 18
Leptospermum gregarium
20Stamens c. 2 mm long, style base arising from the surface of the fruit top; leaves thick, with dense prominent glandsLeptospermum sejunctum
Stamens 3–4 mm long; style base inset in the fruit top; leaf texture variable
                       Back to 14
Leptospermum variabile
21Stamens only about half as long as the petals or shorter; seed ≤3 mm long22
All stamens more than half as long as the petals; seeds ≥3.5 mm long
                       Back to 1
29
22Fruit valves (at opening) not conspicuously exserted23
Fruit valves conspicuously exserted
                       Back to 21
24
23Branches at angles of 60–90°; sepals triangular; leaves incurved from the margins, usually 10–20 mm long and mostly 1–3 mm wide (breadth variable but often uniform within the population), and with a long-tapering pungent-pointed apexLeptospermum arachnoides
Branches at angles of c. 30°; sepals short with the apex broadly rounded; leaves usually flat or with the margins recurved, 10–15 mm long, 4–6 mm wide, the apex blunt or shortly pungent
                       Back to 22
Leptospermum thompsonii
24Leaves not glossy on both surfaces; if glossy on the upper surface, dull or pubescent below25
Leaves glossy on both surfaces
                       Back to 22
27
25Fruit with a distinct short stalk, surface of the valves firm and wrinkled; leaves variable, to 30 mm long, c. 6 mm wide, elliptic, with margins recurved and a densely pubescent lower surfaceLeptospermum deuense
Fruit sessile, the valve surface lifting and ± flaky; leaves various
                       Back to 24
26
26Bark compact; leaves broadest near, and contracting at, the apex; from 3–15 mm long and usually 2–4 mm wide, usually grey-green, narrow and pubescent on both surfacesLeptospermum lanigerum
Bark peeling; leaves broadest near the middle or if near the apex then tapering to the apex, not grey-green, often broad with the upper surface glossy and the lower shortly pubescent, or narrow, equal sided and glabrous, or with other combinations of these characters
                       Back to 25
Leptospermum grandifolium
27Apex of leaves acute and pungent; leaves variable in size but usually c. 15 mm long and 5–6 mm wideLeptospermum petraeum
Apex of leaves not pungent, obtuse to acute; leaves 2–8 mm long, 2–4 mm wide
                       Back to 24
28
28Leaves mostly 5–8 mm long, sometimes 5 mm or less, and 3–4 mm wide, apex ± acute; flowers c. 20 mm diam.Leptospermum crassifolium
Leaves 2–3 mm long and c. 2 mm wide, apex obtuse; flowers c. 10 mm diam.
                       Back to 27
Leptospermum epacridoideum
29Fruit as long as broad, <15 mm diam.; leaves 5–35 mm long, broad- to narrow-elliptic and 2–5 mm wide, apex acute to acuminate30
Fruit broader than long, often 15–20 mm diam.; leaves mostly 10–20 mm long and 5–10 mm wide, usually broad-elliptic, apex obtuse or acute with a short stiff point
                       Back to 21
Leptospermum macrocarpum
30Leaves mostly 5–20 mm long, 2–5 mm wide, broad- to narrow-elliptic, apex acute or long-acute and pungent; flowers white or pinkLeptospermum sphaerocarpum
Leaves mostly 20–35 mm long, 3–5 mm wide, narrow-elliptic, apex long-acute or long-acuminate and stiffly pointed; flowers red
                       Back to 29
Leptospermum spectabile

  Privacy | Copyright | Disclaimer | About PlantNET | Cite PlantNET