About Baeckea frutescens L.
Baeckea frutescens L. is a shrub that typically grows up to 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches) tall, and has arching branches. Its leaves are linear and often clustered on short side-branches. The leaves are 4 to 10 millimeters (0.16 to 0.39 inches) long, about 0.5 millimeters (0.020 inches) wide, and grow from a petiole that is 0.5 to 0.6 millimeters (0.020 to 0.024 inches) long. Flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils, are 3.5 to 5 millimeters (0.14 to 0.20 inches) wide, and grow from a pedicel 1 to 2 millimeters (0.039 to 0.079 inches) long. It has five rounded-triangular sepals, five white, more or less round petals that measure 1.0 to 1.5 millimeters (0.039 to 0.059 inches) long, and between seven and thirteen stamens. Flowering occurs mainly in summer, and the fruit produced is a capsule around 2 millimeters (0.079 inches) in diameter. This species of baeckea grows in heath and open grassland across a range from south-east China to eastern Australia. In Australia, it grows in near-coastal areas as far south as Port Macquarie. For horticultural use, the tiny leaves and branches of this species make it a popular subject for bonsai.
