Kanuka

Page created 18 Nov 1996

Scientific species name: Kunzea ericoides
Formerly called Leptospermum ericoides. Not sure yet what Kunzea means; ericoides means "resembling heath", and Leptospermum (from the Greek⁽⁷⁾)means "slender seed".⁽²⁾
Family: Myrtaceae is a large family found throughout tropical and South America out to China and down through the Pacific. It includes species such as pohutukawa, bottlebrush and Eucalypts.⁽¹⁾ There are some 35 species of Leptospermum, mostly in Australia with a few in New Caledonia, Malaya and New Zealand. The two Leptospermumand the single Kunzea are probably endimic (not found anywhere else) to New Zealand⁽²⁾
Maori name (s): Kanuka
Common name(s): Kanuka, white tea-tree, white manuka
Description: Kanuka is a shrub or can be a tree 20 m or more in height, with trunk 60 cm or more in diameter. The bark is light brown and thicker than the more common manuka (red tea-tree Leptospermum scoparium (= broom like, referring to common use⁽⁶⁾)) and peels of in long strips. The wood is white (hence the name white tea-tree) whereas manuka has red timber.
The small needle-like leaves of kanuka and manuka are very similar. Manuka leaves tend to be larger and more aromatic (nice smell).
The easiest way to tell manuka and kanuka apart is that manuka has larger flowers and large (half cm across) woody seed capsules that remain on the tree for a long time. Kanuka flowers are much smaller, tend to be in bunches⁽⁵⁾, and the small seed capsules are shed within the year. Both trees tend to have white flowers in the wild, but manuka has many coloured varieties and is often grown as a garden ornamental.
Manuka and kanuka are pioneer species, quickly invading an area recently opened by fire, grazing or logging. They also both act as a nurse-crop for other species, providing shelter for the species that will eventually make up the regenerating forest. Kanuka tends to be found on the drier and more fertile soils, whereas manuka will also colonise infertile and poorly drained soils. ⁽⁴⁾

Distribution: Found throughout New Zealand from lowland to montane shrub-lands and forests.

Uses: The name "tea-tree" comes from the early bushman who used manuka leaves to brew a drink similar to tea. Captain Cook was the first person to brew tea from manuka and said that it had a very agreeable, bitter taste when made with fresh leaves, but lost some of it piquancy when made with dry leaves⁽⁸⁾. Kanuka leaves produce a tea that isn't quite as flavourful.

Both tea-trees supposedly have medicinal uses and properties whose benefits far outweigh any considerations of taste. The leaves, brewed in water, help urinary complaints and reduced fevers. The Maori and early settlers used to chew young shoots or swallow a drink made from seed capsules as a cure for dysentery and diarrhoea. The liquid from boiling the bark was used to treat constipation, as a sedative to promote sleep and reduce fever, for bathing sore eyes, treating colic, inflamed breasts, scalds and burns. The white gum was applied to scalds and burns and was taken by adults and children to relieve coughing⁽⁸⁾⁽⁹⁾. There are many more medicinal uses to which tea-tree was put, see ⁽⁹⁾ and ⁽¹⁰⁾ for more details.

Kanuka flowers produce a reasonable amount of nectar that is quite favoured by honeybees. The thick golden honey is hard to remove from honey combs, but is quite popular on supermarket shelves for its strong taste and reputed antibacterial properties (also see ⁽³⁾).

The tough wood was used by Maori for implements such as fernroot beater, mauls, paddles, weapons, spade blades, weeders, digging sticks and bird spears ⁽³⁾

The timber was noted for it's straight grain, durability and strength by early European settlers, and was in demand for wheel-spokes, tool handles and other such purposes.⁽⁷⁾ Kanuka and manuka wood is commonly used as firewood, especially for barbeques, or charred into charcoal. Both manuka and kanuka have been used to make brush brooms

References:
⁽¹⁾ J.T. Salmon (1989) The native trees of New Zealand.
⁽²⁾ Audrey Eagle (1978) Eagle's 100 trees of New Zealand.
⁽³⁾ R.C. Cooper & R.C. Cambie (1991) New Zealand's economic native plants.
⁽⁴⁾ Tim Porteous (1993) Native forest restoration. A practical guide for landownders
⁽⁵⁾ Alison Evans & Stephen Barnett (1987) New Zealand in flower.
⁽⁶⁾ Muriel Fisher, E. Satchell & Janet Watkins (1985) Gardening with New Zealand plants, shrubs & trees.
⁽⁷⁾ J.W. Matthews (1951) New Zealand trees.
⁽⁸⁾ Gwen Skinner (1993) Simply living. A gatherer's guide to New Zealand's fields, forests and shores.
⁽⁹⁾ S.G. Brooker, R.C. Cambie & R.C. Cooper (1987) New Zealand medicinal plants.
⁽¹⁰⁾ Christina Macdonald (1979) Medicines of the Maori.

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