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Photo - Robin Powell
Silver Weeping Tea Tree
Leptospermum brachyandrum has much to offer: that lovely soft foliage; and the distinctive pink, grey and copper shades on the inner bark surface, which are revealed after the seasonal molting of its outer bark.
It’s always a nice to spot a beautiful Australian plant while holidaying overseas. This graceful weeping tea tree was seen in the national Orchid Garden
at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Leptospermum brachyandrum has much to offer: that lovely soft foliage; and the distinctive pink, grey and
copper shades on the inner bark surface, which are revealed after the seasonal molting of its outer bark.
Leptospermum brachyandrum becomes a large shrub or small tree, and occurs naturally from just north of Port Macquarie in New South Wales to northern
northern Queensland. The plant’s ideal environment is beside creeks and rivers, where it is frequently inundated for lengthy periods during summer
months, but there are some populations in Queensland that grow far from waterways on steep, rocky slopes. In the garden the tree will attract wattle
birds and small honeyeaters.
As with most of the Leptospermum family, there are a couple of pests to look out for: webbing caterpillar which needs to be removed by hand or
killed with systematic pesticide; and scale insects which can be treated by spraying Eco oil solution.
Text: Linda Ross
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