Kunzea

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

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Read about Kunzea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Kunzea (Gustav Kunze, 1793-1851, German botanist). Myrtaceae. Australian shrubs, sometimes grown in cool or temperate houses: often heath-like, the small entire lvs. mostly alternate: fls. small with extending stamens, in the upper axils or in terminal heads or in a spike below the end of the branch; calyx with 5 small lobes; petals 5, spreading, small; stamens many, free or in series, the filaments filiform; ovary 2-5-cclled, 2 to many ovules in each cell. The species are 15-20, allied to Callistemon, Leptospermum, and formerly included in Metrosideros. The cult, requirements of Callistemon (p. 630) will probably suit them. K. pomifera, F. Muell., has been mentioned as a fruit-plant (G.C. III. 5:201; copied in A.G. 1889: 127), Mueller saying that it is one of the few really valuable fruit-plants indigenous at the south coast of Austral. "The fruits are of a peculiar acidulous aromatic taste, and very extensively collected by people settled on the coast for the purpose of jam-making." It is described by Bentham as a rigid prostrate shrub: lvs. ovate, varying from nearly orbicular and almost cordate to narrow and acute-based, mostly less than 1/3 in. long: fls. white or yellowish, sessile and not numerous but yet forming dense terminal heads becoming lateral by elongation of the branch; stamens numerous, 3 or 4 times as long as the small petals: berry blue, 1/3 in. or less diam., crowned by the calyx-lobes. Victoria and S. Austral. L.H.B. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

? Kunzea
Kunzea ericoides
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Myrtales Family: Myrtaceae Genus: Kunzea Benth.
Species
See text.

Kunzea is a genus of 36-40 species of shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. They are endemic to Australia with one species extending to New Zealand. They are found throughout the Australian continent with most species occurring in southwestern Western Australia. In appearance they resemble the closely-related Callistemon genus, but differ in the arrangement of the stamens.

Several species of Kunzea are weeds in the fynbos regions of southern South Africa

Species

Include

• Kunzea ambigua
• Kunzea baxteri
• Kunzea bracteolata
• Kunzea cambagei
• Kunzea capitata
• Kunzea ericoides
• Kunzea flavescens
• Kunzea muelleri
• Kunzea obovata
• Kunzea opposita
• Kunzea parviflora
• Kunzea parvifolia
• Kunzea parvifolium
• Kunzea pomifera
• Kunzea pulchella

External links

• Photograph and description of the genus