Coast Tea-tree

Scientific Name: Leptospermum laevigatum

Description: When flowering, Coast Tea-trees are covered in masses of attractive white flowers. Its often twisted, gnarled trunk is a sculptured feature along the coast. The flowers are followed by woody fruit capsules. Coast Tea-tree is a nectar plant for butterflies and is an important part of the sand dune system. However, due to lack of fire and poor land management, it has spread rapidly since European settlement to become an environmental weed in many inland parts of the Bellarine Peninsula. The aromatic leaves are used for traditional medicines and the branches were used to build huts.

Plant form: Tree
Where to find: Across the entire Bluff
Foliage: Thick, flat, dull green, paddle-shaped leaves arranged alternately along the stem
Flower: Stalkless white five petalled flowers in pairs to 20mm wide
Flowering: August – November