Leptospermum laevigatum (Gaertn.) F.Muell., Myrtaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 11 (Go to the risk assessment).

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Australian myrtle, Australian tea tree, coast teatree

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Large shrubs or small trees 5-6 m tall, bark shredding in long flakes.  Leaves narrowly oblanceolate to oblanceolate, 16-25 mm long, 4-8 mm wide, sparsely silky pubescent, glabrate with age, glandular-dotted, apex mucronate.  Sepals deltate, ca. 1-1.5 mm long, silky pubescent at least in bud, apex obtuse; petals white, ca. 6.5 mm long.  Capsules 8-10-valved, ca. 6 mm in diameter, scarcely exserted from hypanthium"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 963).

Habitat/ecology:  "Heath- and scrubland, grassland, coastal dunes.  A native of coastal heath communities, this shrub is tolerant of salt spray and invades coastal vegetation.  It can form extensive and dense thickets that displace the native vegetation.  The masses of fine roots in the top soil allow an efficient exploitation of soil moisture and competition with native plants"  (Weber, 2003; p. 233).

Propagation:  Seed.  "Fruits remain on the tree until fire or other damage kills it, leading to mass release of seeds.  These are dispersed by wind and water"  (Weber, 2003; p. 233).

Native range:  "Southeastern Australia and Tasmania"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 963).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 963)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1999) (p. 5) Voucher cited: R. Hobdy 2403 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1999) (p. 5) Voucher cited: Mrs. Crowe s.n. (BISH 60010)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T./Herbst, Derral R. (2002) (p. 13) Voucher cited: C. Imada 2000-5 (BISH)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 865) "Coastal places, scrub near gardens or parks".

Control:  Cut trees and burn the area about 4 years later to kill emerging seedlings (Weber, 2003; p. 233).

Additional information:
Report (PDF format) from US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station, Hawaii "Plants of Hawaii".

Additional online information about Leptospermum laevigatum is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Leptospermum laevigatum as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Leptospermum laevigatum may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Herbarium Pacificum Staff. 1999. New Hawaiian plant records for 1998. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1998. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 58:3-11.

Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T./Herbst, Derral R. 2002. New Hawaiian plant records for 2000. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2000. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 68:3-18.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.