Leptospermum deuense

Leptospermum deuense
In Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Leptospermum
Species:	L. deuense
Binomial name
Leptospermum deuense Joy Thomps.
Occurrence data from AVH

Fruit

Habit in Deua National Park

Leptospermum deuense is a species of shrub that is endemic to New South Wales. It is a leafy, densely branched shrub with rough bark on the older stems, elliptical leaves with a glossy upper surface, white flowers arranged singly or in pairs and woody fruit.

Description

Leptospermum deuense is a leafy, densely branched shrub that typically grows to about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) high. It has rough bark on the older stems, smooth bark with soft hairs on the younger stems. The leaves are glossy green on the upper surface, densely hairy on the lower side, elliptical to lance-shaped, 10–30 mm (0.39–1.18 in) long and 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) wide. The flowers are white and are borne singly or in pairs on short side branches, and are about 15 mm (0.59 in) in diameter. The floral cup is hairy, about 4 mm (0.16 in) long on a pedicel 1 mm (0.039 in) or more long. The sepals are triangular, 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long and densely hairy. The petals are about 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and the stamens are about 4 mm (0.16 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs in February and the fruit is a woody capsule 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) in diameter.

Taxonomy

This species was formally described in 1989 by Joy Thompson in the botanical journal Telopea, based on plant material collected from Deua National Park in 1984. The specific epithet (deuense) refers to the collection of the type specimens near the Deua River.

Distribution and habitat

Leptospermum deuense is only known from a small area on mountains in the Deua National Park near Moruya where it grows in scrub or exposed woodland on a rhyolite ridge.

Use in horticulture

The species has only been recently introduced to cultivation, but has proved itself readily adaptable to a range of soil conditions and able to withstand frosts to −7 °C (19 °F). It can be propagated by seed or cuttings.