| Tick bush | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Kunzea |
| Species: | K. ambigua |
| Binomial name | |
| Kunzea ambigua | |
Kunzea ambigua, commonly known aswhite kunzea,poverty bush ortick bush, is a plant in the myrtlefamily,Myrtaceae and is found mainly onsandstone soils in easternAustralia. Growing up to 5 m (16 ft) high and wide, it bears small white flowers in spring. Used innative gardening, it attracts native insects. It is also used in amenities planting andsand dune stabilization.
Kunzea ambigua is a small- to medium-sized spreading shrub that may reach 5 m (16 ft) both in height and width, though is usually much smaller (from 1 m (3 ft)). Its bark is fibrous and furrowed, while the narrow lanceolate green leaves are 0.5–1.3 cm in length and 0.2 cm wide, with hairy new growth. Occurring from September to December or January, the white flowers are 1.2 cm in diameter and sweetly fragrant. The stamens are longer than the petals. The flowers are followed by small woody capsules 0.4 cm in diameter.[1][2]
Kunzea ambigua was first formally described in 1797 byJames Edward Smith who gave it the nameLeptospermum ambiguum.[3] English botanistGeorge Claridge Druce gave it its currentbinomial name in 1917.[4] The generic name honours German naturalistGustav Kunze,[5] while thespecific epithet is derived from theLatin adjectiveambiguus meaning "doubtful" or "uncertain".[6] Its common names are white kunzea and tick bush.
A pale pink-flowered hybrid withKunzea capitata has been recorded from Stony Range Flora reserve inDee Why in Sydney's northern beaches region.[7]
Kunzea ambigua is found from northeasternNew South Wales, having been recorded in the Grand High Tops of theWarrumbungle National Park,[2] throughVictoria and intoTasmania. It grows onsandy soils in coastal or near-coastal regions.[1] It is a very common dry forest shrub of the Sydney region, and regenerates in disturbed or cleared areas.[8] It is associated with scrub she-oak (Allocasuarina distyla),Melaleuca nodosa, cheese tree (Glochidion ferdinandi) in heath or scrub, and with red bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera), peppermint gum (Eucalyptus piperita), forest red gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis), woolybutt (E. longifolia), thin-leaved stringybark (E. eugenioides), and white feather honeymyrtle (Melaleuca decora) in forested areas. InWilsons Promontory in Victoria,Kunzea ambigua is the dominant species within scattered areas of treeless heath that occur on granite hills and mountains.[9]
In recent times, it has been discovered that theKunzea ambigua plant grows abundantly inFlinders Island and North East Tasmania. Tasmania regularly experiences strong westerly winds and a high annual rainfall of over 700mm. This harsh, windy and brisk climate is the ideal environment for theKunzea ambigua plant to thrive.[10]
Insects are the main pollinators ofKunzea ambigua; these include various types of beetles including jewel beetles (Buprestidae), scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae), flower beetles (Mordellidae), and checkered beetles (Cleridae)[11] as well as butterflies, flies, bees and wasps.[12] The tick bush is killed by fire and regenerates from seed. Plants can also colonise unburnt sites with ample sunlight.[12]
It was one of the first species of Australian plant introduced into cultivation in England.[5] It is a hardy and adaptable plant that is used in windbreaks andsand dune stabilization plantings,[1] as well as gardens, particularly in Australian gardens using native plants according to principles ofnatural landscaping. The species attracts Australian native insects,[13] and can provide shelter for small birds and thelong-nosed bandicoot (Perameles nasuta).[14]
It can regenerate quickly after disturbance, suggesting it may haveweedy potential if planted outside its natural range.[1]
Kunzea ambigua is registered with theTherapeutic Goods Administration for use in "Kunzea Pain Relief Cream"[15] and "Vita Future Nasal Congestion Relief".[16]
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