#kunzea

AKA kānuka, but that common name is usually applied to Kunzea ericoides. On the other hand, this species was part of the K. ericoides species complex until 2014. On the other hand, genetic differences between species in the complex are slight, and they may have to be folded back into one species again.

Until then, this particular species is most common in low-lying and coastal areas, and nearby hills, on the North and South Island.

Kunzea affinis

Australia has many plants in the Myrtle Family, including some shrubs with showy flowers such as this Kunzea. It is native to the southern coast of Western Australia, which is in the winter-rainfall region of the country, making it well-suited to our Mediterranean climate in California.

Saturday, 5th March, 2022 🌿

Day 11: Kunzea

Named after Gustav Kunze, a 19th century German botanist, zoology, and entomologist with an interest in ferns and orchids. tenuicaulis means 'thin stalk'.

The dominant shrub and small tree in geothermal areas in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, but highly variable in size. In fact, it's quite possible it's a form of the even more variable Kunzea ericoides var. microflora.

Geothermal Kānuka can be a tree 8 meters tall as long as it doesn't have an active volcanic area immeadiately underneath it, but as you get closer and closer to the centre of a hydrothermal area like the Craters of the Moon, the Kunzea gets smaller and smaller until it's less than 10cm tall. A lot of that is because the roots cook if they try to go any deeper.

Most Kunzea are endemic to Western Australia but a few occur in eastern Australia and even fewer in New Zealand. The taxonomy of the genus is complicated by the existence of multiple hybrids.

Sunday, 2nd January, 2022

The babies are growing!!! The kunzea very sadly has died back a bit so I'm going to have to trim it 😔