About Leptospermum polygalifolium Salisb.
Leptospermum polygalifolium Salisb. is most commonly a shrub that typically grows 0.5 to 3 meters (1 foot 8 inches to 9 feet 10 inches) tall, but it can also grow as a tree reaching 7 meters (23 feet) or more in height. It has thin bark, though the bark of larger specimens becomes thick and flaky. Young stems are initially covered in short hairs, and have a noticeable raised flange near the base of each leaf. Its flowers can be white, greenish, cream-colored, or occasionally pink. Most flowers measure 10 to 15 millimeters (0.39 to 0.59 inches) in diameter, and each grows individually on a short side shoot. At the base of young flower buds, there are dark reddish-brown bracts and matching bracteoles that are shed as the bud matures. The floral cup is usually hairless, measures 2 to 4 millimeters (0.079 to 0.157 inches) long, and tapers to a pedicel that is roughly 1 millimeter (0.039 inches) long. The sepals are broadly egg-shaped to oblong, 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters (0.059 to 0.098 inches) long, and fall off before the fruit forms. Petals measure 4 to 6 millimeters (0.16 to 0.24 inches) long, and stamens measure 2.5 to 4 millimeters (0.098 to 0.157 inches) long. Flowering occurs mainly from August to January. The fruit is a capsule around 5 to 8 millimeters (0.20 to 0.31 inches) in diameter, and remains on the plant for several years.
