Spiny tea tree facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spiny tea tree
Leptospermum spinescens at Tarin Rock
Scientific classification
Genus:	Leptospermum
Species:	spinescens

The Spiny tea tree (scientific name: Leptospermum spinescens) is a special kind of spiny bush. It grows only in Western Australia. This plant has thick, egg-shaped leaves and pretty white or greenish-cream flowers. Its fruits stay on the plant for many years, even after they are fully grown.

What Does the Spiny Tea Tree Look Like?

The Spiny tea tree is a spiny bush. It usually grows to be about 0.3 to 1.5 meters (about 1 to 5 feet) tall. It has strong, soft, brown bark that looks a bit like cork. The younger stems are thick and pointy. They also have clear marks where old leaves used to be.

The leaves are bright green and thick. They are shaped like an egg or an oval. They are usually 5 to 15 millimeters (about 0.2 to 0.6 inches) long. They are 2 to 5 millimeters (about 0.08 to 0.2 inches) wide. The leaves narrow down to a short stem called a petiole.

The flowers are white, creamy white, or greenish-cream. They have a green center. Each flower is about 10 to 15 millimeters (about 0.4 to 0.6 inches) wide. They grow one by one where a leaf meets the stem (this is called a leaf axil). Sometimes they grow near old leaf marks on older wood.

There are large, reddish-brown, round parts called bracteoles at the bottom of the flower bud. These fall off before the flower opens. The cup-shaped part of the flower, called the floral cup, is very hairy. It is about 5 to 8 millimeters (about 0.2 to 0.3 inches) long. The sepals, which are like small leaves protecting the bud, are round and about 2 millimeters (about 0.08 inches) long. They have thin, pale edges. The petals are 3 to 6 millimeters (about 0.1 to 0.2 inches) long. The stamens, which hold the pollen, are 2.5 to 4 millimeters (about 0.1 to 0.16 inches) long.

This plant mostly flowers from September to December. The fruit is a capsule. It is 20 millimeters (about 0.8 inches) or more wide. The fruit stays on the plant for many years. It often gets partly covered by the bark.

How Did It Get Its Name?

The Spiny tea tree was first officially described in April 1837. A scientist named Stephan Endlicher wrote about it. He published his description in a book. The book was about plants collected by Charles von Hügel. These plants were found near King Georges Sound.

Where Does the Spiny Tea Tree Grow?

The Spiny tea tree grows in special areas in Western Australia. You can find it in areas called kwongan or shrubland. These are places with low bushes and plants. It grows on hills and sandy plains. These areas are in the Wheatbelt, Great Southern, and southern Goldfields-Esperance regions. It prefers to grow in sandy soils and soils that contain laterite, which is a type of red soil.