Lemon myrtle
| Lemon myrtle | ||||||||||||
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Lemon myrtle |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Leptospermum petersonii | ||||||||||||
| FMBailey |
The lemon myrtle ( Leptospermum petersonii ) is a plant in the family of myrtle (Myrtaceae).
description
The lemon myrtle grows as a widely spreading shrub or small tree and reaches heights of between 4 and 6 meters with richly branched trunks. The bark is flaky and fibrous. The bark of young twigs is only initially hairy. In the alternate leaves , a petiole is hardly recognizable. The 20 to 40 mm long and 2 to 5 mm wide, mostly hairless leaf blade has a lanceolate to narrow elliptical shape and is flat or slightly curved back. The leaf margin is smooth. When rubbed, the leaves give off a lemon aroma .
The flowers are usually single. The hermaphrodite, radially symmetrical flower has a diameter of 1 to 1.5 cm and is five-fold with double perianth. The almost hairless flower cup (hypanthium) has a length of 3 to 4 mm and clear glands. The sepals are 1.5 to 2.5 mm long and almost hairless. The white petals are 5 to 6 mm long. The many stamens are 2.5 to 3.5 mm long. Five carpels have grown together to form a five- chamber ovary. The flowering period extends from late July to October.
The woody capsule fruit has a diameter of about 6 mm.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.
ecology
The lemon myrtle is a forage plant and habitat for butterfly species.
Occurrence
The lemon myrtle is mostly found near damp hard leaves or rainforests in Australia , in the states of Queensland and New South Wales . The lemon myrtle was also introduced in Hawaii , for example . It grows on sandy and stony soils.
use
The leaves contain neral , geranial and citronellal and are used for brewing and flavoring tea; the lemon flavor is the highlight. The leaves are used to produce an oil with a bactericidal effect, and the medicinal effects have been studied in this regard.
The lemon myrtle is planted as a windbreak. It is also used as an ornamental plant, for example for cut hedges.
Systematics
The lemon myrtle was first described in 1905 by Frederick Manson Bailey in the Queensland Agricultural Journal , 15 (6): Wilson's Peak, WJ Peterson, Jan., 1905 . Synonyms for Leptospermum petersonii F.M.Bailey are: Leptospermum citratum (JFBailey & CTWhite) Challinor et al. , Leptospermum flavescens var. Citratum J.F.Bailey & CTWhite .
swell
- Text from Gwen Jean Harden: Flora of New South Wales , Volume 2, 1991: Leptospermum petersonii - NEW SOUTH WALES FLORA ONLINE . (English, accessed July 1, 2010)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Australian National Botanic Gardens - Australian National Herbarium: Leptospermum petersonii family MYRTACEAE (accessed June 30, 2010)
- ^ A b Gwen Jean Harden: Flora of New South Wales, Volume 2. , UNSW Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0868406091 , p. 189.
- ↑ a b Engelbert Kötter: The large GU PraxisHandbuch Kräuter. , Gräfe & Unzer, ISBN 978-3833811296 , p. 173.
- ↑ Leptospermum petersonii at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ a b c Street Tree Directory: Page no longer available , search in web archives: data sheet. (English, accessed on July 2, 2010; PDF; 34 kB)
- ↑ The PLANTS Database: Leptospermum petersonii LH Bailey common teatree (accessed June 30, 2010)
- ↑ Frank Christoph: Chemical composition and antimicrobial properties of the essential oils of Leptospermum scoparium JR et G. Forst. and other tea tree oils of the genera Kunzea, Leptospermum and Melaleuca, with particular reference to commercial oils. Online (accessed June 30, 2010; PDF; 2.4 MB)
- ↑ Entry in Plants for a Future.
