Leptospermum brevipes – Slender Tea Tree

Author: Jan Sked

Published: Journal December 2022

Leptospermum brevipes Slender Tea Tree

Pronounced: lep-toe-SPERM-um BREV-ip-eez
Family: Myrtaceae
Derivation: Leptospermum, from the Greek leptos, slender, and sperma, seed, referring to the narrow seeds of some species of the genus; brevipes, from Latin brevis, short, referring to the short flower stalks of some plants found in the wild.

The general common name, Teatree, derives from the practice of early Australian settlers who soaked the leaves of several species in boiling water to make a herbal tea.

Leptospermum brevipes is a spreading, often pendulous shrub that grows to about 4 metres high by 3 metres across. It has fibrous bark on the main stems, with smooth bark on young stems that is shed in stringy strips.

The small greyish-green leaves are narrow-elliptical to narrow egg-shaped, 6-25mm long, and 2-5mm wide, hairy when young, but becoming glabrous with age. Young growth is often coppery-red.

Clusters of small white tea-tree flowers are borne singly or in pairs in the leaf axils towards the ends of the branches. They are 6–10mm in diameter. The flower buds have an attractive pink tinge. Flowering occurs from October to December.

The fruit is a silky-hairy, hemispherical capsule, 3–4 mm in diameter, which is shed when mature.

Slender Tea Tree has a wide distribution from the Granite Belt in south-eastern Queensland, mostly along the Tablelands of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory to eastern Victoria. It grows in dry sclerophyll forest, woodland and shrubland, typically on rocky granite outcrops, often close to streams.

In the garden it can be grown in an open sunny to semi-shaded position. It is a hardy shrub, adaptable to most soils and works well for screening and hedging. It is reported to be fast growing. Will tolerate frosts. Benefits from pruning after flowering to control shape and provide density.

Propagation is by seed or cuttings.