Leaves alternate, usually small and ± rigid, margins entire; often aromatic when crushed, occasionally lemon-scented; sessile to shortly petiolate.
Flowers solitary or in clusters of 2–several; sessile in axils of bracts on condensed shoots. Flowers 5-merous. Hypanthium obtuse or tapered at the base. Sepals imbricate, sometimes persistent. 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 mostly 3–5-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, usually 3–5-valved; seeds ± ovoid, reticulate and occasionally ridged or winged, or irregularly linear and striate.
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 revised key.
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Fruit either not woody or if ± woody then the valves not woody; usually shed soon or at most before the following season; seeds ovoid-cuneiform with the surface reticulate | 3 |
| Fruit woody, woody-valved and usually persisting beyond the following season; seeds irregularly linear or linear-cuneiform with the surface longitudinally striate | 2 |
| 2 | Sepals developing a line of dehiscence and falling, though tardily so in a few species; stem flanges present or absent | 21 |
| Sepals persistent; stem flanges absent
Back to 1 | 40 |
| 3 | Flowers on the flowering shoot >2; pedicels <2mm long; fruit always 3-locular | 4 |
| Flowers on the flowering shoot usually 1(–2), pedicels >2 mm long; fruit 3- or variably 3–5(or more)-locular
Back to 1 | 7 |
| 4 | Leaves usually <5 mm wide, tapering to a narrow base | 5 |
| Leaves usually 5–10 mm wide, broad-based
Back to 3 | Leptospermum speciosum |
| 5 | Hypanthium glabrous or almost so; stem flanges present | 6 |
| Hypanthium hairy, pubescent or silky; stem flanges absent
Back to 4 | Leptospermum whitei |
| 6 | Leaves 20–50 mm long, apex acute to acuminate; new growth silky-hairy | Leptospermum brachyandrum |
| Leaves to 25 mm long, apex obtuse or mucronate; new growth sparsely hairy
Back to 5 | Leptospermum benwellii |
| 7 | Fruit loculi usually >5; many seeds winged | 8 |
| Fruit loculi 5 or less; seeds not winged
Back to 3 | 9 |
| 8 | Leaves light yellowish green, usually 10–20 mm long and 3–5 mm wide, obtuse, acute or acuminate; fruit usually 4–7-locular | Leptospermum coriaceum |
| Leaves usually grey-green, 15–30 mm long, 5–8 mm wide, and broadly obtuse; fruit usually 6–11-locular
Back to 7 | Leptospermum laevigatum |
| 9 | Sepals very short-triangular, c. 0.5 mm long; leaves 5–10 mm long and 1–3 mm wide with the apex tending to recurve | Leptospermum myrsinoides |
| Sepals, if triangular, ≥1 mm long; leaves various
Back to 7 | 10 |
| 10 | Fruit succulent (coarsely wrinkled when dry); hypanthium silky with the upper part spreading widely and often glabrous; leaves mostly 5–10 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide and thick | Leptospermum semibaccatum |
| Fruit not succulent; hypanthium variously hairy or glabrous; leaves various
Back to 9 | 11 |
| 11 | Fruit with the placenta low and the valves extended upward; leaves to c. 8 mm long, thick, obtuse and petiolate | Leptospermum parvifolium |
| Fruit not as above; leaves if <10 mm not thick, obtuse and petiolate
Back to 10 | 12 |
| 12 | Bark in many flaky layers even on leafy branches | 13 |
| Bark compact, fibrous, smooth or ultimately flaking but not in many flaky layers
Back to 11 | 14 |
| 13 | Hypanthium densely pubescent with spreading or short hairs (variable according to the population), rarely glabrous, upper part of the hypanthium not incurved; leaves mostly 10–20 mm long, 1–6 mm wide (breadth often uniform within the population) | Leptospermum trinervium |
| Hypanthium glabrous or densely silky at base, the upper part incurved over the edge of the fruit; leaves usually 15–25 mm long and 3–7 mm wide
Back to 12 | Leptospermum subglabratum |
| 14 | Hypanthium mostly glabrous but sometimes silky at the base; filaments often with spreading hairs | 15 |
| Hypanthium variously hairy, sometimes with the upper part glabrescent; filaments glabrous
Back to 12 | 16 |
| 15 | Hypanthium turgid; leaves mostly elliptic, 10–25 mm long, 2–4 mm wide and petiolate | Leptospermum polyanthum |
| Hypanthium thin; leaves narrow-elliptic to oblanceolate, 10–15 mm long and 1–2 mm wide, sessile
Back to 14 | Leptospermum deanei |
| 16 | Apex of leaves with a conspicuous pungent point, the leaves subtending the flowering shoots infolded or incurved, and reflexed | 17 |
| Apex of leaves obtuse or acute but if somewhat pointed not conspicuously so and with the leaves subtending the flowering shoots not infolded, incurved and reflexed
Back to 14 | 18 |
| 17 | Sepals somewhat acute and triangular; fruit usually 3-locular | Leptospermum divaricatum |
| Sepals obtuse, oblong or semicircular; fruit mostly 4-locular
Back to 16 | Leptospermum microcarpum |
| 18 | Leaf bud of flowering shoots developing prematurely so that flowers are found at the base of shoots or even branched shoots, the branching at c. 60° | 19 |
| Leaf bud of flowering shoots developing with or shortly after the flowers; the branching <40°
Back to 16 | 20 |
| 19 | Pedicels >5 mm long; leaves silky only on base and margins; in the Lithgow area, CT | Leptospermum blakelyi |
| Pedicels c. 1 mm long; leaves usually silvery silky on both surfaces; confined to the Scabby Ra., ST
Back to 18 | Leptospermum namadgiense |
| 20 | Fruit 3-locular, style base scarcely inset, pedicel c. 1 mm long; leaves <10 mm long, 1–3 mm wide, apex usually acute to acuminate | Leptospermum multicaule |
| Fruit usually 5-locular, style inset, pedicel 2–10 mm long; leaves mostly >10 mm long, usually 2–5 mm wide, apex obtuse to short-acuminate
Back to 18 | Leptospermum brevipes |
| 21 | Hypanthium with a tapered base and pedicel often 3–4 mm long; leaves usually 20–30 mm long and 3–7 mm wide, apex retuse | Leptospermum emarginatum |
| Hypanthium base broad or if narrowed pedicel c. 1 mm long; leaves various
Back to 2 | 22 |
| 22 | Leaves incurved in cross section and pungent-pointed; style stout and straight-sided with a characteristic relatively large flat stigma | 23 |
| Leaves not both incurved and pungent-pointed, or if so then style tapering and stigma not relatively large
Back to 21 | 27 |
| 23 | Leaves mostly spreading | 24 |
| Leaves erect and rather dense, giving a broom-like appearance to the plant
Back to 22 | 26 |
| 24 | Flowers usually c. 10 mm diam., usually white; produced on new growth; hypanthium tapering near base | 25 |
| 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 23 | Leptospermum squarrosum |
| 25 | Most 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 24 | Leptospermum continentale |
| 26 | Short 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 23 | Leptospermum juniperinum |
| 27 | Anther loculi long and not opening wide | 28 |
| Anther loculi broader than long when open, and opening wide
Back to 22 | 31 |
| 28 | Flowers c. 8 mm diam.; stamens longer than the short petals; leaves dense, obovate and thick, mostly 2–4 mm long, glossy | Leptospermum 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 27 | 29 |
| 29 | Bark 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 parallel | Leptospermum 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 28 | 30 |
| 30 | Flowers usually c. 15 mm diam.; leaves mostly 15–35 mm long and 2–8 mm wide, usually with 3 conspicuous longitudinal veins and aromatic | Leptospermum 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 29 | Leptospermum polygalifolium |
| 31 | Fruit much broader than long, with a wide woody rim; leaves dense, usually 5–7 mm long and 1–2 mm wide, lemon-scented | Leptospermum liversidgei |
| Fruit and leaves not as above
Back to 27 | 32 |
| 32 | Bark loosely fibrous, `stringy'; leaves narrow-elliptic to lanceolate, 20–40 mm long and 2–5 mm wide, acute, rounded or retuse and often lemon-scented | Leptospermum petersonii |
| Bark various; leaves various, never lemon-scented
Back to 31 | 33 |
| 33 | Leaves, at least most of them, with a distinct though often short petiole, the apex usually broad, the size and shape various, glabrous or pubescent | 34 |
| Leaves sessile, tapering to the apex, 10–20 mm long, 2–8 mm wide, obovate to oblanceolate to elliptic, glabrous
Back to 32 | 39 |
| 34 | Stamens 4–6 mm long; flowers often pink, usually 20–30 mm diam.; leaves mostly ± circular | Leptospermum rotundifolium |
| Stamens <3.5 mm long; flowers white or almost so, ≤15 mm diam.; leaf shape various
Back to 33 | 35 |
| 35 | Sepals glabrous or with ciliate margins; leaves green and glabrous at least for the most part | 36 |
| 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 34 | 37 |
| 36 | Stems branching at c. 30°; leaves narrow-oblanceolate to very broad-obovate, apex usually retuse; fruit rounded above a short stalk | Leptospermum obovatum |
| Stems branching at 60° or more; leaves obovate to almost circular, apex usually broadly rounded; fruit base rounded or turbinate
Back to 35 | Leptospermum micromyrtus |
| 37 | Fruit almost globose before opening; stem flanges inconspicuous; leaves mostly obovate, 5–10 mm long and 2–5 mm wide | Leptospermum myrtifolium |
| Fruit broader than long; stem flanges conspicuous; leaves mostly obovate to oblanceolate or broad-obovate to elliptic
Back to 35 | 38 |
| 38 | Hypanthium conspicuously flared in the upper part; leaves very broad-obovate to elliptic, ultimately glabrous but greyish silky on young growth | Leptospermum 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 37 | Leptospermum gregarium |
| 39 | Stamens c. 2 mm long, style base arising from the surface of the fruit top; leaves thick, with dense prominent glands | Leptospermum sejunctum |
| Stamens 3–4 mm long; style base inset in the fruit top; leaf texture variable
Back to 33 | Leptospermum variabile |
| 40 | Stamens only about half as long as the petals or shorter; seed ≤3 mm long | 41 |
| All stamens more than half as long as the petals; seeds ≥3.5 mm long
Back to 2 | 48 |
| 41 | Fruit valves (at opening) not conspicuously exserted | 42 |
| Fruit valves conspicuously exserted
Back to 40 | 43 |
| 42 | Branches 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 apex | Leptospermum 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 41 | Leptospermum thompsonii |
| 43 | Leaves not glossy on both surfaces; if glossy on the upper surface, dull or pubescent below | 44 |
| Leaves glossy on both surfaces
Back to 41 | 46 |
| 44 | Fruit 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 surface | Leptospermum deuense |
| Fruit sessile, the valve surface lifting and ± flaky; leaves various
Back to 43 | 45 |
| 45 | Bark 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 surfaces | Leptospermum 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 44 | Leptospermum grandifolium |
| 46 | Apex of leaves acute and pungent; leaves variable in size but usually c. 15 mm long and 5–6 mm wide | Leptospermum petraeum |
| Apex of leaves not pungent, obtuse to acute; leaves 2–8 mm long, 2–4 mm wide
Back to 43 | 47 |
| 47 | Leaves 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 46 | Leptospermum epacridoideum |
| 48 | Fruit as long as broad, <15 mm diam.; leaves 5–35 mm long, broad- to narrow-elliptic and 2–5 mm wide, apex acute to acuminate | 49 |
| 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 40 | Leptospermum macrocarpum |
| 49 | Leaves mostly 5–20 mm long, 2–5 mm wide, broad- to narrow-elliptic, apex acute or long-acute and pungent; flowers white or pink | Leptospermum 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 48 | Leptospermum spectabile |
