Kunzea ericifolia

Last updated

Spearwood
Kunzeaericifolia.jpg
Kunzea ericifolia growing near Lake Seppings
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Kunzea
Species:
K. ericifolia
Binomial name
Kunzea ericifolia
habit Kunzea ericifolia habit.jpg
habit
leaves and flowers Kunzea ericifolia leaves and flowers.jpg
leaves and flowers

Kunzea ericifolia, commonly known as spearwood, native tree or yellow kunzea, or as kitja boorn, poorndil or condil by the Noongar people, [1] is an erect woody evergreen shrub that is endemic to Western Australia. It has soft green linear leaves and spherical heads of usually yellow flowers in spring.

Contents

Description

Kunzea ericifolia is a woody erect shrub, often multi-stemmed, [2] that can grow to a height of 6 metres [3] [4] but is typically about 2 metres (7 ft) tall. The long and slender stems divide from the base, and continue to divide into finer, flexible and narrowly angled branches. The shrub has a crown of soft pale green foliage. The leaf are simple in structure with linear form growing to a length of about 10 millimetres (0 in) with a width of 1 millimetre (0 in). Flowering occurs in spring (July to December) and produces small round flower approximately 10 millimetres (0 in) in diameter. The globular blossom is perfumed and yellow, cream or white in color and occurs in clusters and the ends of branches. [5] Flowers are followed by small single celled fruits that contain many small seed that are dispersed once the fruit is ripe. The bark is fibrous, rough and grey in colour, often peeling in layers from the stem.

Taxonomy and naming

Spearwood was first formally described in 1812 by James Edward Smith who gave it the name Metrosideros ericifolia from a specimen collected by Archibald Menzies during the Vancouver expedition's stop at King George Sound in 1791. The description was published in The Cyclopedia edited by Abraham Rees. [6] When he published his description of the genus Kunzea in 1828, Ludwig Reichenbach referred to Kunzea ericifolia but did not validly publish the name. However, in 1840 Gustav Heynhold published the name in Alphabetische und Synonymische Aufzahlung der in den Jahren 1840 bis 1846 in den europäischen Gärten eingeführten Gewächse nebst Angabe ihres Autors. [7] The specific epithet (ericifolia) is a reference to the apparent similarity of the leaves of this species to those of Erica in the family Ericaceae. [3]

Distribution

Kunzea ericifolia is found in the Southwest Australia region. Populations of this species are found as far north as Gingin and as far east as Bremer Bay on the south coast. The largest populations occur around Albany. Many communities are found along the coast-line. [5] A southeastern population is found in the Fitzgerald River National Park. Stands are often found in transition areas between wetlands and drier regions. [3]

The name of the suburb Spearwood in Perth is taken from K. ericifolia. When the developer James Morrison sub-divided the area in 1897 creating the Spearwood Garden Estate it was the first time the name was used. [8]

Ecology

Kunzea ericifolia grows in sandy well drained soil. Found to grow in peaty soils, quartzite and grey sand. Grows well in moist conditions and along the margins of watercourses, lakes and seasonally wet swamps. Can also be found growing amongst rocks in more open and elevated positions. Requires good drainage and a sunny or slightly shaded position. It is ideally suited to mediterranean conditions, can withstand a moderate frost and will grow in more humid conditions.

K. ericifolia is susceptible to bushfire, which will destroy a thicket, however the seedlings can quickly repopulate an area after these events. The stands are often composed of plants of a similar age and size for this reason. The species can form dense thickets and produces large amounts of leaf litter, an environment occupied by a diverse range of orchid species that includes two rare hammer orchids. The stands also provide shelter to fauna, the New Holland honeyeater builds its nests amongst the branches. [3]

Uses

Use in horticulture

The plant has been cultivated for many years as an ornamental plant, though not as commonly as other species of Kunzea. It is easily propagated by seed or by cutting and considered to have greater potential as a garden plant than is currently recognised. [3]

Indigenous use

As the name "spearwood" suggests, the plant was often used to make spears for hunting game. [1]

Other uses

Studies have found that Kunzea ericifolia contains a powerful natural insecticide (called ericfolione) that has been extracted from the plant using hexane. [9] The stems are used in commercial gardens as supports for climbing plants, for fencing and the construction of craypots. These uses have made the species vulnerable to illegal harvesting. [3]

The early colonists used the plant to make a native tea that was considered refreshing but also used as a tonic. More recently it has been used to make bean poles inn market gardens and construct craypots. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Kunzea</i> Genus of flowering plants

Kunzea is a genus of plants in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Australasia. They are shrubs, sometimes small trees and usually have small, crowded, rather aromatic leaves. The flowers are similar to those of plants in the genus Leptospermum but differ in having stamens that are longer than the petals. Most kunzeas are endemic to Western Australia but a few occur in eastern Australia and a few are found in New Zealand. The taxonomy of the genus is not settled and is complicated by the existence of a number of hybrids.

<i>Banksia ericifolia</i> Woody shrub native to Australia

Banksia ericifolia, the heath-leaved banksia, or lantern banksia, is a species of woody shrub of the family Proteaceae native to Australia. It grows in two separate regions of Central and Northern New South Wales east of the Great Dividing Range. Well known for its orange or red autumn inflorescences, which contrast with its green fine-leaved heath-like foliage, it is a medium to large shrub that can reach 6 m (20 ft) high and wide, though is usually half that size. In exposed heathlands and coastal areas, it is more often 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft).

<i>Melaleuca armillaris</i> Species of plant

Melaleuca armillaris, commonly known as bracelet honey myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is native to South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania in south-eastern Australia. It is a hardy, commonly grown species, often used as a fast-growing screen plant, but it also has the potential to become a weed. It has become naturalised in Western Australia and parts of Victoria. In its natural state, it grows on coastal cliffs and along estuaries.

<i>Prunus pensylvanica</i> Species of tree

Prunus pensylvanica, also known as bird cherry, fire cherry, pin cherry, and red cherry, is a North American cherry species in the genus Prunus.

Kunzea glabrescens, commonly known as spearwood, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a large shrub with leaves and flowers similar to those of K. ericifolia but has differently shaped bracteoles. It is often common in wet areas around Perth.

<i>Verticordia grandis</i> Species of shrub

Verticordia grandis is a large woody shrub that occurs in Southwest Australia. The name grandis, Latin for large, is a reference to its large flowers, leaves, and height. It is well known for its large flowers, which are collected and cultivated, and given the informal name of scarlet featherflower. It was the first species of the family Myrtaceae to have been genetically modified.

<i>Melaleuca rhaphiophylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Melaleuca rhaphiophylla, commonly known as swamp paperbark is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south west of Western Australia. It has narrow, needle-like leaves and profuse spikes of white or yellowish flowers at variable times throughout the year. As its common name suggests, it is usually found in salt marshes, or swamps or along watercourses and occurs over wide areas of the south-west.

<i>Kunzea baxteri</i> Species of flowering plant

Kunzea baxteri, commonly known as scarlet kunzea, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia where it occurs near granite outcrops and hills. It is a shrub with large, scarlet, bottlebrush-like flower clusters, making it popular as a garden feature.

<i>Astartea fascicularis</i> Species of flowering plant

Astartea fascicularis is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It is endemic to southwestern Western Australia, where it is widespread in the Recherche Archipelago and present on the mainland in Cape Le Grand National Park. It is commonly known as Recherche astartea. or false baeckea.

<i>Melaleuca ericifolia</i> Species of tree

Melaleuca ericifolia, commonly known as swamp paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and the genus Melaleuca, native to south-eastern Australia. It is a rather variable species and some specimens resemble Melaleuca armillaris but its papery bark and smaller, more prolific flower heads distinguish it from that species. It often grows in swampy areas and the draining and clearing of these has reduced the numbers of the species, especially around Port Philip Bay near Melbourne. It is also similar to Melaleuca pustulata, a Tasmanian endemic, but that species only grows in dry heath.

<i>Eremaea pauciflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Eremaea pauciflora is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small leaves and orange flowers at the ends of its branches. It has the most widespread distribution of the eremaeas with considerable variation in its characteristics so that three varieties are recognised. It was the first Eremaea to be described formally but was not originally given the name Eremaea.

<i>Melaleuca nodosa</i> Species of plant

Melaleuca nodosa, commonly known as the prickly-leaved paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with narrow, sometimes needle-like leaves and profuse heads of yellow flowers as early as April or as late as January.

<i>Coprosma rotundifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Coprosma rotundifolia is a native forest shrub of New Zealand found on the North, South, and Stewart Islands.

<i>Kunzea muelleri</i> Species of flowering plant

Kunzea muelleri, commonly known as yellow kunzea, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to mountainous areas of south-eastern Australia. It is a low-growing, spreading shrub with linear leaves and small groups of pale yellow, stalkless flowers that appear in the summer.

<i>Hakea cucullata</i> Species of in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia

Hakea cucullata, commonly known as hood-leaved hakea, cup hakea or scallop hakea, is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an attractive shrub with distinctive foliage and beautiful large pink, red, or deep purple scented flowers.

<i>Myoporum bateae</i> Species of flowering plant

Myoporum bateae is a flowering plant in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the south coast of New South Wales. It is a sweet-smelling glabrous shrub. Although it is sometimes used as an ornamental it is rare in nature, although not endangered at present.

Drakaea micrantha, commonly known as the dwarf hammer orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south–west of Western Australia. It is similar to other hammer orchids in that it is pollinated by a single species of male thynnid wasp using sexual deception. The orchid's labellum is similar in shape and scent to a flightless female thynnid wasp. It has a single silvery-grey, heart-shaped leaf with prominent green veins and a stem up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long. The species is only known from a scattered populations in the south west of the state and has been declared "vulnerable" by the Australian government and "threatened" by the government of Western Australia.

<i>Eremophila gibbosa</i> Species of plant endemic to Western Australia

Eremophila gibbosa, commonly known as humped fuchsia bush, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a shrub with broad, shiny, sticky leaves and yellowish-green flowers and which often forms dense thickets.

Kunzea affinis is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with many branches, small crowded leaves, and five-petalled pink flowers in early spring.

<i>Kunzea clavata</i> Species of flowering plant

Kunzea clavata, commonly known as the Torbay spearwood, is a 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 or tree, typically with many branches and grows to a height of 2.5 to 4 metres. It blooms between September and October producing yellow flowers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Plants and People in Mooro Country Nyungar Plant Use in Yellagonga Regional Park" (PDF). City of Joondalup. 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  2. "Five Acre Nursery - Kunzea ericifolia". 2002. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Powell, Robert (1990). Leaf and Branch: Trees and Tall Shrubs of Perth. Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth, Western Australia. ISBN   978-0-7309-3916-0.
  4. "Kunzea ericifolia". 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Florabase - Kunzea ericifolia". 1999. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
  6. "Metrosideros ericifolia". APNI. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  7. "Kunzea ericifolia". APNI. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  8. "Kunzea glabrescens Common name: Spearwood". Friends of Queens Park Bushland. 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  9. Khambay, Bhupinder P. S.; Beddie, David G.; Simmonds, Monique S. J.; Green, Paul W. C. (1999). "A New Insecticidal Pyranocyclohexenedione from Kunzea ericifolia". Journal of Natural Products. 62 (10): 1423–1424. doi:10.1021/np9900573. PMID   10543906.