Baeckea gunniana — Practical Plants

Taxonomy and growth

Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Baeckea
Life cycle: perennial
Foliage: evergreen
Woodiness: woody
Height: 1.5 m
Spread: 2 m
Flower type: hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

The leaves are a tea substitute, they are very refreshing and aromatic. A citrus-like flavour^[1].

Product or use: Tea

Environment

Range: Australia - New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania.
Habitat: Bogs and wet rocky sites, especially by water courses in alpine regions to 1800 metres.
Light: full sun
Shade tolerance: no shade
Water: moderate
Hardiness: Zone 9+
Soil textures: sandy, loamy
Soil pH: acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage: well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil: No
Drought: intolerant

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in spring or autumn in a greenhouse and keep the compost moist until germination takes place. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in a frame^[3].

Cultivation

Requires a position in full sun in a fertile moisture retentive well-drained soil^[3]. This species is not very hardy in Britain, though it should survive outdoors in the very mildest areas of the country, especially if given a sheltered position. Plants in Australian gardens tolerate temperatures down to at least -7°c^[2], but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. The leaves emit a powerful camphor-like scent when handled^[4]. This species is very closely related to and perhaps synonymous with B. utilis^[2]. A rock garden plant^[2], it seems to maintain its prostrate habit even when grown at lower altitudes^[2].

Acca sellowianaFeijoa
Amomyrtus luma
Angophora cordifoliaSmooth-Barked Apple
Angophora floribundaRough-Barked Apple

References

Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
↩
Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988-00-00 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0
↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
↩1 ↩2
Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
↩