''Kunzea'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of plants in the family
Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...
and is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
Australasia
Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...
. They are shrubs, sometimes small trees and usually have small, crowded, rather
aromatic
In organic chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property describing the way in which a conjugated system, conjugated ring of unsaturated bonds, lone pairs, or empty orbitals exhibits a stabilization stronger than would be expected from conjugati ...
leaves. The flowers are similar to those of plants in the genus ''
Leptospermum
''Leptospermum'' is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae commonly known as tea trees, although this name is sometimes also used for some species of ''Melaleuca''. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the greate ...
'' but differ in having
stamen
The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...
s that are longer than the
petal
Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...
s. Most kunzeas are endemic to
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
but a few occur in eastern Australia and a few are found in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. The taxonomy of the genus is not settled and is complicated by the existence of a number of
hybrids.
Description
Plants in the genus ''Kunzea'' are shrubs or small trees, usually with their leaves arranged alternately along the branches. The flowers are arranged in clusters near the ends of the branches, which in some species, continue to grow after flowering. The flowers of most species lack a stalk but those that have one are usually solitary or in groups of two or three. In some species, the flowers are surrounded by enlarged
bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale.
Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...
s. There are five petals, five
sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106
Etymology
The term ''sepalum'' ...
s and a large number of stamens which are always longer than the petals. The fruit is a usually a woody
capsule.
Kunzeas are similar to species in other genera of the Myrtaceae, especially ''
Leptospermum
''Leptospermum'' is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae commonly known as tea trees, although this name is sometimes also used for some species of ''Melaleuca''. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the greate ...
'' but are distinguished from that genus by having stamens that are longer than the petals.
Taxonomy and naming
The first formal description of a kunzea was published in 1828 by
Ludwig Reichenbach
Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (8 January 1793 – 17 March 1879) was a German botanist, ornithologist and illustrator. It was he who first requested Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, Leopold Blaschka to make a set of glass marine invertebrate m ...
in his book ''Conspectus Regni Vegetabilis''. Reichenbach referred to three species – ''
K. capitata'', ''
K. ericifolia'' and ''K. corifolia'' (now ''
K. ambigua'') – but did not nominate a
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
.
In 1981, Hellmut Toelken nominated ''
K. capitata'' as the type species.
Reichenbach named the genus after his "distinguished friend", the German naturalist
Gustav Kunze
Gustav Kunze (4 October 1793 in Leipzig – 30 April 1851 in Leipzig)
was a German professor of zoology, an entomologist and botanist with an interest mainly in ferns and orchids.
He was editor of some exsiccata series, one issued together with ...
, professor of botany in
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
.
The taxonomy of the genus is not settled and hybrids often occur where two species occur in the same area.
Distribution
The majority of ''Kunzea'' species are endemic to the
south-west
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...
of Western Australia but there are species in every Australian state and in New Zealand.
Use in horticulture
Some species of ''Kunzea'' are suitable for use in gardens. ''
Kunzea ambigua
''Kunzea ambigua'', commonly known as white kunzea, poverty bush or tick bush, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is found mainly on sandstone soils in eastern Australia. Growing up to high and wide, it bears small white flowers in s ...
'' is described as a "handsome shrub which attracts numerous birds and colourful soldier beetles when in flower". A form of this species from southern
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India
* Victoria (state), a state of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital
* Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
reputedly flowers profusely with sprays of scented flowers.
''
Kunzea capitata'' and ''
K. pulchella'' are red-flowering species from Western Australia and are described as "indeed outstanding" although they are sometimes difficult to establish in eastern states and need to be
grafted
Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...
onto hardier
rootstock
A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to ...
.
Species
Sourced from the authoritative ''
Australian Plant Name Index
The Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) is an online database of all published names of Australian vascular plants. It covers all names, whether current names, synonyms or invalid names. It includes bibliographic and typification details, informati ...
'' and ''
Australian Plant Census
The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Sys ...
'' and the
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) was an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected p ...
.
[
* '' Kunzea acicularis'' – WA
* '' Kunzea acuminata'' – WA
* '' Kunzea affinis'' – WA
* '' Kunzea amathicola'' , rawiritoa – NZ
* '' Kunzea aristulata'' – ]NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
* ''Kunzea ambigua
''Kunzea ambigua'', commonly known as white kunzea, poverty bush or tick bush, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is found mainly on sandstone soils in eastern Australia. Growing up to high and wide, it bears small white flowers in s ...
'' , tick bush – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
, TAS, VIC
Vic, vic or VIC may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name
* V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper
Places
* Vic, Spain, a town and ...
* '' Kunzea axillaris'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
* '' Kunzea badjaensis'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
* '' Kunzea baxteri'' , scarlet kunzea – WA
* '' Kunzea bracteolata'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
, QLD
* ''Kunzea caduca
''Kunzea caduca'' is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a spreading shrub with linear to lance-shaped leaves and groups of white to cream-coloured flowers on the ends of all the branches from late winter ...
'' – QLD
* '' Kunzea calida'' – QLD
* '' Kunzea cambagei'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
* '' Kunzea capitata'' , pink kunzea – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
, QLD
* ''Kunzea ciliata
''Kunzea ciliata'' is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub which typically grows to a height of and blooms between October and November producing pink f ...
'' – WA
* '' Kunzea cincinnata'' – WA
* '' Kunzea clavata'' – WA
* '' Kunzea dactylota'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
* ''Kunzea ericifolia
''Kunzea ericifolia'', commonly known as spearwood, native tree or yellow kunzea, or as kitja boorn, poorndil or condil by the Noongar people, is an erect woody evergreen shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has soft green linear leav ...
'' , spearwood, pondil – WA
* ''Kunzea ericoides
''Kunzea ericoides'', commonly known as kānuka or white tea-tree, is a tree or shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to New Zealand. It has white or pink flowers similar to those of ''Leptospermum'' and from its first formal desc ...
'' , manuoea, titira, atitira, kanuka - NZ
* '' Kunzea eriocalyx'' – WA
* '' Kunzea flavescens'' , – QLD
* '' Kunzea glabrescens'' , spearwood – WA
* '' Kunzea graniticola'' – QLD
* '' Kunzea jucunda'' – WA
* ''Kunzea juniperoides
''Kunzea juniperoides'' is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is a small shrub with narrow leaves and small groups of white flowers near the end of the longer branches. It is di ...
'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
* '' Kunzea leptospermoides'' , Yarra burgan - VIC
Vic, vic or VIC may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name
* V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper
Places
* Vic, Spain, a town and ...
* '' Kunzea linearis'' , rawiri manuka – NZ
* '' Kunzea micrantha'' – WA
* '' Kunzea micromera'' – WA
* '' Kunzea montana'' , mountain kunzea – WA
* '' Kunzea muelleri'' , yellow kunzea – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
* '' Kunzea newbeyi'' – WA
* ''Kunzea obovata
''Kunzea obovata'' is a flowering plant in the myrtle Family (biology), family, Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to eastern Australia. It is a spreading shrub with unusually-shaped leaves and clusters of pink to purple flowers. It is restricted ...
'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
, QLD
* '' Kunzea occidentalis'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
* '' Kunzea opposita'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
, QLD
* '' Kunzea parvifolia'' , violet kunzea – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
, QLD, VIC
Vic, vic or VIC may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name
* V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper
Places
* Vic, Spain, a town and ...
* ''Kunzea pauciflora
''Kunzea pauciflora'', the Mount Melville kunzea, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to a small area on the south coast of Western Australia. It is a shrub with the stems densely branched near their e ...
'' – WA
* ''Kunzea peduncularis
''Kunzea peduncularis'', commonly known as mountain burgan, is a flowering plant in Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, and is endemic to Victoria, Australia. It is usually a dense shrub and has lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end t ...
'' – VIC
Vic, vic or VIC may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name
* V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper
Places
* Vic, Spain, a town and ...
* '' Kunzea petrophila'' – NT
* '' Kunzea phylicoides'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
, VIC
Vic, vic or VIC may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name
* V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper
Places
* Vic, Spain, a town and ...
* ''Kunzea pomifera
''Kunzea pomifera'', commonly known as muntries, emu apples, native cranberries, munthari, muntaberry or monterryGraham, C. and D. Hart (1997). ''Prospects for the Australian native bushfood industry''. RIRDC. (from Tanganekald Ngarrindjeri ''m ...
'' , muntries – VIC
Vic, vic or VIC may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name
* V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper
Places
* Vic, Spain, a town and ...
, SA
* '' Kunzea praestans'' – WA
* '' Kunzea preissiana'' – WA
* ''Kunzea pulchella
''Kunzea pulchella'', commonly known as granite kunzea, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with spreading branches, egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves and l ...
'' , granite kunzea – WA
* '' Kunzea recurva'' – WA
* ''Kunzea robusta
''Kunzea robusta'', commonly known as rawirinui or kānuka, is a tree in the myrtle Family (biology), family, Myrtaceae, and is Endemism, endemic to New Zealand. It has rough, stringy, or corky bark, lance-shaped leaves that are darker on the u ...
'' , manuka, kanuka, kopuka, rawirinui, maru, rauriki – NZ
* ''Kunzea × rosea'' – WA
* ''Kunzea rostrata
''Kunzea rostrata'' is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle Family (biology), family, Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to an area along the south west coast of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small, mostly elliptic leaves, and gro ...
'' – WA
* '' Kunzea rupestris'' – NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
* ''Kunzea salina
''Kunzea salina'' is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a low, spreading, densely branched shrub with leaves mostly arranged in opposite pairs and usually two sess ...
'' – WA
* '' Kunzea salterae'' – NZ
* '' Kunzea sericothrix'' – QLD
* '' Kunzea serotina'' , makahikatoa – NZ
* '' Kunzea similis'' – WA
* ''Kunzea sinclairii
''Kunzea sinclairii'', also known as the Great Barrier Island kānuka, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Great Barrier Island in the Auckland Region, New Zealand.
Taxonomy and naming
''Kunzea sinclairii'' w ...
'' , Great Barrier Island kanuka – NZ
* '' Kunzea spathulata '' – WA
* ''Kunzea × squarrosa'' – WA
* '' Kunzea strigosa'' – WA
* '' Kunzea sulphurea'' – WA
* '' Kunzea tenuicaulis'' , geothermal kanuka, geothermal kunzea, prostrate kanuka – NZ
* '' Kunzea toelkenii'' – NZ
* '' Kunzea triregenis'' , Three Kings kanuka – NZ
* '' Kunzea truncata'' – QLD
Gallery
Image: Kunzea pulchella.jpg, ''Kunzea pulchella
''Kunzea pulchella'', commonly known as granite kunzea, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with spreading branches, egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves and l ...
'' in Maranoa Gardens
The Maranoa Botanic Gardens is a botanical garden in Balwyn, Melbourne. It is significant as being one of the first and only botanical gardens in the world dedicated solely to Australian native plants.
History Establishment
Maranoa Gardens b ...
Image:Kunzea ericifolia leaves and flowers.jpg, ''Kunzea ericifolia
''Kunzea ericifolia'', commonly known as spearwood, native tree or yellow kunzea, or as kitja boorn, poorndil or condil by the Noongar people, is an erect woody evergreen shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has soft green linear leav ...
'' in Mount Barney National Park
Mount Barney National Park is a national park in Queensland (Australia), 90 km southwest of Brisbane. It amalgamated the adjacent Mount Lindesay National Park in 1980. It is part of the Scenic Rim Important Bird Area, identified as such by ...
Image:Kunzea capitata (6115779956).jpg, '' Kunzea capitata'' in the Royal National Park
The Royal National Park is a state park, protected national park that is located in the Sutherland Shire local government area in Southern Sydney and in the City of Wollongong local government area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Au ...
Image:Kunzea parvifolia.jpg, '' Kunzea parvifolia'' in the Mount Buffalo National Park
The Mount Buffalo National Park is a national park in the Victorian Alps, alpine region of Victoria, Australia. The national park is located approximately northeast of Melbourne in the Australian Alps. Within the national park is Mount Buff ...
Image:Kunzea baxteri.jpg, '' Kunzea baxteri'' in Maranoa Gardens
References
{{Authority control
Myrtaceae genera
Taxa named by Ludwig Reichenbach
Flora of the Australasian realm