Kunzea ambigua
Encyclopedia
Kunzea ambigua, commonly known as the White Kunzea, Poverty Bush or Tick Bush, is a common shrub of the myrtaceae
family found on sandstone
soils in eastern Australia
. Growing up to 5 m (16 ft) high and wide, it bears small white flowers in spring. Used in native gardening
, it attracts native insects. It is also used in amenities planting and sand dune stabilization
.
, before English botanist George Claridge Druce
gave it its current binomial
name in 1917. The generic name honours German naturalist Gustav Kunze
, while the specific epithet is derived from the Latin
adjective ambiguus 'doubtful' or 'uncertain'. Its common names are White Kunzea and Tick Bush.
A pale pink-flowered hybrid with Kunzea capitata
has been recorded from Stony Range Flora reserve in Dee Why
in Sydney's northern beaches region.
, having been recorded in the Grand High Tops of the Warrumbungle National Park
, through Victoria
and into Tasmania
. It grows on sandy
soils in coastal or near-coastal regions. It is a very common dry forest shrub of the Sydney region, and regenerates in disturbed or cleared areas. 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.
), flower beetles (Mordellidae
), and checkered beetles (Cleridae
) as well as butterflies, flies, bees and wasps. The tick bush is killed by fire and regenerates from seed. Plants can also colonise unburnt sites with ample sunlight.
plantings, as well as gardens, particularly in Australian gardens using native plants according to principles of natural landscaping
. The species attracts Australian native insects, and can provide shelter for small birds and the Long-nosed Bandicoot
(Perameles nasuta).
It can regenerate quickly after disturbance, suggesting it may have weed
y potential if planted outside its natural range.
Myrtaceae
The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...
family found on sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
soils in eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Growing up to 5 m (16 ft) high and wide, it bears small white flowers in spring. Used in native gardening
Natural landscaping
.Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are indigenous to the geographic area of the garden.-Maintenance:...
, it attracts native insects. It is also used in amenities planting and sand dune stabilization
Sand dune stabilization
Sand dunes are common features of shoreline and desert environments. Dunes provide habitat for highly specialized plants and animals, including rare and endangered species. They can protect beaches from erosion and recruit sand to eroded beaches. Dunes are threatened by human activity, both...
.
Taxonomy and naming
It was initially described as Leptospermum ambiguum by James Edward SmithJames Edward Smith
Sir James Edward Smith was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a precocious interest in the natural world...
, before English botanist George Claridge Druce
George Claridge Druce
George Claridge Druce, MA, LLD, JP, FRS, FLS was an English botanist and a Mayor of Oxford.G. Claridge Druce was born at Potterspury on Watling Street in Northamptonshire. He was the illegitimate son of Jane Druce, born 1815 in Buckinghamshire.He went to school in the village of Yardley Gobion....
gave it its current binomial
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
name in 1917. The generic name honours German naturalist Gustav Kunze
Gustav Kunze
Gustav Kunze Gustav Kunze Gustav Kunze (4 October 1793, Leipzig -30 April 1851, Leipzigwas a German professor of zoology, an entomologist and botanist with an interest mainly in ferns and orchids....
, while the specific epithet is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
adjective ambiguus 'doubtful' or 'uncertain'. Its common names are White Kunzea and Tick Bush.
A pale pink-flowered hybrid with Kunzea capitata
Kunzea capitata
Kunzea capitata is a shrub species in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to New South Wales in Australia.-Description:The species has a spreading or erect habit and may grow up to 2 metres in height, but is usually within the range of 0.5 to 1 metre. Flowers are pink to purple, or occasionally...
has been recorded from Stony Range Flora reserve in Dee Why
Dee Why, New South Wales
Dee Why is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Dee Why is located 18 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Warringah Council, and along with Brookvale is considered to be...
in Sydney's northern beaches region.
Description
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.Distribution and habitat
Kunzea ambigua is found from northeastern New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, having been recorded in the Grand High Tops of the Warrumbungle National Park
Warrumbungle National Park
Warrumbungle National Park is located in central northern New South Wales, Australia, 550 km northwest of Sydney. Outside of the Sydney metropolitan area parks, it is the most-visited national park in New South Wales....
, through Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and into Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. It grows on sandy
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
soils in coastal or near-coastal regions. It is a very common dry forest shrub of the Sydney region, and regenerates in disturbed or cleared areas. It is associated with Scrub She-Oak (Allocasuarina distyla
Allocasuarina distyla
Allocasuarina distyla, or Scrub She-Oak, is a shrub or small tree of the She-oak family Casuarinaceae endemic to New South Wales....
), Melaleuca nodosa
Melaleuca nodosa
Melaleuca nodosa, commonly known as the prickly-leaved paperbark, is a shrub native to New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia in eastern Australia....
, Cheese tree (Glochidion ferdinandi
Glochidion ferdinandi
Glochidion ferdinandi, commonly known as the cheese tree, is a species of tree in the Phyllanthaceae family. It is native to eastern Australia, where it grows in rainforests and wetter sclerophyll forests...
) in heath or scrub, and with Red Bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera
Corymbia gummifera
Corymbia gummifera, commonly known as Red Bloodwood, is a hardwood tree native to eastern Australia.-Description:It usually grows as a tree, but may take the form of a mallee in very poor soils. As a tree it typically grows to a height of 20 to 34 metres and a trunk diameter of one metre dbh....
), Peppermint Gum (Eucalyptus piperita
Eucalyptus piperita
Eucalyptus piperita, commonly known as Sydney Peppermint and Urn-fruited Peppermint, is a small to medium forest tree native to New South Wales, Australia.-Description:...
), Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis
Eucalyptus tereticornis
Eucalyptus tereticornis is a species of tree native to eastern Australia.It has a great many common names, of which Forest Red Gum is perhaps the most widely known...
), Woolybutt (E. longifolia
Eucalyptus longifolia
Eucalyptus longifolia, known by the common name woollybutt, is a tree of the myrtle family myrtaceae native to eastern Australia. It has thick, fibrous bark usually colored light gray and white, and long narrow grey-green leaves. The drooping flowerheads in groups of three are a distinguishing...
), Thin-leaved Stringybark (E. eugenioides
Eucalyptus eugenioides
Eucalyptus eugenioides, known as the thin-leaved stringybark, is a common eucalyptus tree in eastern Australia. It grows up to 30 metres tall in grassy forest or dry eucalyptus woodland on deep heavy soils of moderate fertility.-Taxonomy:...
), and White Feather Honeymyrtle (Melaleuca decora
Melaleuca decora
Melaleuca decora, known as the White Feather Honeymyrtle, is a plant native to eastern Australia. A bush or tree with paperbark, usually seen around 4 to 7 metres tall. Exceptional specimens, however, may exceed 20 metres tall. The habitat is swampy areas on heavy soils, mostly near the coast. The...
) in forested areas.
Ecology
Insects are the main pollinators of Kunzea ambigua; these include various types of beetles including jewel beetles (Buprestidae), scarab beetles (ScarabaeidaeScarabaeidae
The family Scarabaeidae as currently defined consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide. The species in this large family are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family is fairly unstable, with numerous competing theories, and new proposals appearing quite...
), flower beetles (Mordellidae
Mordellidae
Mordellidae is a family of beetles commonly known as tumbling flower beetles for the typical irregular movements they make when escaping predators, or as pintail beetles due to their abdominal tip which aids them in performing these tumbling movements...
), and checkered beetles (Cleridae
Cleridae
Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The Cleridae family has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences....
) as well as butterflies, flies, bees and wasps. The tick bush is killed by fire and regenerates from seed. Plants can also colonise unburnt sites with ample sunlight.
Cultivation
It was one of the first species of Australian plant introduced into cultivation in England. It is a hardy and adaptable plant that is used in windbreaks and sand dune stabilizationSand dune stabilization
Sand dunes are common features of shoreline and desert environments. Dunes provide habitat for highly specialized plants and animals, including rare and endangered species. They can protect beaches from erosion and recruit sand to eroded beaches. Dunes are threatened by human activity, both...
plantings, as well as gardens, particularly in Australian gardens using native plants according to principles of natural landscaping
Natural landscaping
.Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are indigenous to the geographic area of the garden.-Maintenance:...
. The species attracts Australian native insects, and can provide shelter for small birds and the Long-nosed Bandicoot
Long-nosed Bandicoot
The Long-nosed Bandicoot is a species of bandicoot found in Australia. It is the largest member of its genus, which also includes the Western Barred Bandicoot, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot and the Desert Bandicoot....
(Perameles nasuta).
It can regenerate quickly after disturbance, suggesting it may have weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
y potential if planted outside its natural range.
External links
- Plantnet site of Royal Botanic Gardens NSW, showing herbarium record within New South Wales