Leptospermum humifusum
Credits
Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles
Recommended citation
'Leptospermum humifusum' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Genus
Synonyms
- L. rupestre Hook. f.
- L. scoparium var. prostratum of some gardens, not of Hook. f.
A low shrub with prostrate or rock-hugging main stems and erect or spreading branchlets, usually 6 to 9 in. high. Leaves glabrous, plane or slightly concave on the lower side, 1⁄4 to 3⁄8 in. long, elliptical to obovate, rounded at the apex, dark glossy green. Flowers about 1⁄2 in. across, white, borne singly in the leaf-axils. Capsules about 1⁄5 in. wide.
Native of Tasmania at high altitudes; introduced by H. F. Comber in 1930. It is very hardy in a position sheltered from cold winds: though the leaves may be scorched in hard winters, the wood is rarely damaged. It will quickly drape a dry-wall or boulder. Usually seen in gardens under the name “L. scoparium prostratum”, it is quite distinct from any form of L. scoparium in its leaves, which lack the prickly tip characteristic of that species. There are some remarkable plants in the Heath Garden at Wakehurst Place which appear to be draped over rocks but are in fact free-standing, on short trunks.