Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked):Eudicots
(Unranked):Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Kunzea
Species: tenuicaulis
Scientific name: Kunzea tenuicaulis
Synonyms: Leptospermum ericoides var. microflorum / Kunzea ericoides var. microflora
Common Name: Geothermal Kanuka, Geothermal Kunzea, Prostrate Kanuka
Previous names Kunzea ericoides var. microflora and Leptospermum ericoides var. microflorum are now both synonyms of the heading/accepted species Kunzea tenuicaulisis. This is a native endemic to the North Island Central Volcanic Field, the Bay of Plenty (Whale Island) and south to Tokaanu on the southern side of Lake Taupo. It inhabits active or senescent geothermal fields or grows in the vicinity of these. Hybrids of this plant are locally common in the Rotorua area.
It is spreading, small tree or trailing shrub, (0.1-)-2-5(-8)m tall. Usually multi-trunked from the base, trunks slender, more or less decurved, sometimes decumbent. It has slender, numerous, brittle, twiggy branchlets with grey bark that flakes into small irregular shards.
White to pink sweetly scented flowers are in spiky clusters and appear late August to December.
Fruiting occurs during December to February. The seeds are numerous, rather fine and are yellow or orange-yellow in colour.
The photos below are of a selected form which now marketed in some garden centres as Kunzea ericoides var microflora cerise. It has attractive pink hue to new growth and small white flowers (spring/summer).
Photographed at Te Kainga Marire Gardensat Spencer Place.
New red coloured leaves (November)
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
