Leptospermum petersonii (or Leptsopermum citratum), lemon-scented teatree is a tall shrub to small tree to 5 m which is cultivated as an ornamental

Ornamental

Ornamental may refer to:*Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration*Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work*Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qualities...

 and for essential oils. It naturally occurs near sclerophyll

Sclerophyll

Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....

 forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

 or rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

, on sandy or rocky escarpements, on the east coast of 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...

. It has simple leaves, 20-40 mm long, with a distinctive lemony aroma. The flowers are white, followed by woody capsules.

Uses

The leaves are distilled commercially for the essential oil which contains citronellal

Citronellal

Citronellal or rhodinal or 3,7-dimethyloct-6-en-1-al is a monoterpenoid, the main component in the mixture of terpenoid chemical compounds that give citronella oil its distinctive lemon scent....

, citral

Citral

Citral, or 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal or lemonal, is either of, or a mixture of, a pair of terpenoids with the molecular formula C10H16O. The two compounds are double bond isomers. The E-isomer is known as geranial or citral A...

, and pinene

Pinene

Pinene is a bicyclic monoterpene chemical compound. There are two structural isomers of pinene found in nature: α-pinene and β-pinene. As the name suggests, both forms are important constituents of pine resin; they are also found in the resins of many other conifers, as well as in non-coniferous...

. It is grown in plantations in Kenya, Zaire, South Africa, Guatemala and Australia.

The leaf of lemon-scented teatree is also used as a flavouring ingredient in boutique tea

Tea

Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...

 blends with standard black tea, Camelia sinensis.

Cultivation

Lemon-scented teatree is well known as a garden plant, popular for its scent and attractiveness. It is fast growing and can be kept to shrub height by pruning. The ability to be pruned regularly also makes it well-suited for hedges, windbreaks and harvesting for distilled essential oils.

Leptospermum liversidgei

Leptospermum liversidgei

Leptospermum liversidgei, commonly known as Swamp May, Olive Teatree, Lemon-scented Teatree or Lemon Teatree, is a shrub to 4 m found naturally growing in wet coastal heath in Eastern Australia. Leaves are 5-7 mm long, with a distinctive lemony aroma...

is also called "lemon-scented teatree" due to the presence of lemony essential oils.