Tea Tree

Overview

Tea tree is endemic to Eastern Australia. Native distribution in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South-Western Papua New Guinea, and Northern Australia. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of essential oil. The essential oil is strongly germicidal and also used in dentistry, deodorants, soaps, mouthwashes. It is also sometimes grown as a hedge.

Vernacular Names

Vernacular names: Gelam wangi (Malaysia), Nuvem-branca, Floco-de-neve (Portuguese), Budjur (Gadigal, Australia).

Agroecology

Melaleuca linariifolia is found from the warm temperature zone to the tropics, growing in both semi-acid and moist climates. Plants are said to tolerate occasional lows about -5 °C. Requires a fertile, well-drained moisture retentive lime-free soil in full sun. Prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Morphology

• Stems - spongy to the touch. Bark is white, flaky and striking cream exfoliating.
• Leaves - opposite to narrow-elliptic-lanceolate, 20-45 mm long, 2-3,5 mm wide. Bluish green or silver or gray green, no change evergreen.
• Flowers - solitary within each bract, white. Petals obovate to broad-elliptic, 3 mm long, stamens 30-60 per bundle, claw 8-15 mm long. Showy, fragrant white. Inflorescences: many flowered spikes up to 4 cm long; rachis glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
• Fruits - brown or grey, small , fruiting in fall. cilindrical to subglobose, 3-4 mm diameter, orifice 2 mm diameter, valves level with the orifice, sepals tardily caducous.
• Seeds - contain many tiny seeds..

Cultivation

• By seeds - surface sow in spring or autum onto a pot of permanently moist soil in a warm greenhouse. Emmerse in 5 cm of water and do not water from overhead. Grow until the seedling are 0,5 cm tall, then remove from the water and pot up a week later.
• By cutting - pruning is best done after the plants have flowered with the intention of maintaining a compact habit. cutting of half-ripe lateral shoots with a heel.

Chemical Constituents

Terpinen-4-ol, methyleugenol, 1,8-cineole, E-methylisoeugenol, and α-terpineol

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• The essential oil obtained from the fresh leaves and twigs is strongly antiseptic, diaphoretic and expectorant. It is used for treating stings, burns, wounds and skin infection of all kinds.
• It stimulates the immune system and is effective against a broad range of bacterial and fungal infections.
• Internally, it is used in the treatment of chronic and some acute infections, notably cystitis, glandular fever and chronic fatigue syndrome.
• The essential oil is used in aromatherapy.
• It is used externally in the treatment of thrush, vaginal infections, acne, athlete's foot, verrucae, warts, insect bites, cold sores and nits.
• In Philippines, the leaves are used to treat asthma.