Editing Mānuka

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant endemic to New Zealand}}
{{Use dmy dates|cs1-dates=ly|date=August 2020}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
|name = Mānuka
|image = Mānuka flowers and foliage - Hooton Reserve, Auckland.jpg
|image_caption = ''Leptospermum scoparium'' foliage and flowers
|genus = Leptospermum
|species = scoparium
|authority = [[Johann Reinhold Forster|J.R.Forst.]] & [[Georg Forster|G.Forst.]]
}}
[[File:Tea tree, Leptospermum scoparium.jpg|thumb|Tea tree, 'Ruby Glow' cultivar, [[Cambria, California]].]]
[[File:Leptospermum scoparium 'Wiri Donna' kz2.jpg|thumb|'Wiri Donna' cultivar, [[Auckland Botanic Gardens]]|upright ]]
[[File:(MHNT) Leptospermum scoparium 'Burgundy Queen' - Leaves and flower.jpg|thumb|'Burgundy Queen' cultivar, [[MHNT]]|upright ]]
'''Mānuka''' ({{IPA|mi|maːnʉka}}, '''''Leptospermum scoparium''''') is a [[species]] of [[flowering plant]] in the myrtle [[family (biology)|family]] Myrtaceae, native to [[New Zealand]] (including the [[Chatham Islands]]) and south-east Australia.<ref name=GRIN/><ref name="NZGJ2008">{{cite journal |last1=Derraik |first1=José G. B. |title=New Zealand manuka (''Leptospermum scoparium''; Myrtaceae): a brief account of its natural history and human perceptions |url=http://www.rnzih.org.nz/RNZIH_Journal/Pages_4-8_from_2008_Vol11_No2.pdf |journal=New Zealand Garden Journal |year=2008 |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=4–8 |access-date=2 May 2016 |archive-date=2016-02-22  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222022254/http://www.rnzih.org.nz/RNZIH_Journal/Pages_4-8_from_2008_Vol11_No2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Thompson J. 1988">{{cite journal |last=Thompson |first=Joy |year=1988 |title=A revision of the genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae) |journal=Telopea |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=301–449 |doi=10.7751/telopea19894902 |url=https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/Telopea/results.php?Where=ArtParentRef=%273%27+and+ArtVolume=%273%27+and+ArtIssue=%273%27 |doi-access=free |archive-date=2021-07-27  |access-date=2021-07-27  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727171350/https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/Telopea/results.php?Where=ArtParentRef%3D%273%27+and+ArtVolume%3D%273%27+and+ArtIssue%3D%273%27 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="POWO_597505-1">{{cite web |title=''Leptospermum scoparium'' J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. |work=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:597505-1 |access-date=19 February 2020 |archive-date=2023-01-05  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105151602/https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:597505-1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bees produce [[mānuka honey]] from its nectar.

The Latin [[binomial nomenclature|specific epithet]] ''scoparium'' means 'like broom', referring to Northern Hemisphere genera such as ''[[Genista]]'' and ''[[Cytisus]]'' which it superficially resembles,<ref name=RHSLG>{{cite book |last=Harrison |first=Lorraine |title=RHS Latin for Gardeners |year=2012 |publisher=Mitchell Beazley |location=London|isbn=978-1-84533-731-5}}</ref> but to which it is only distantly related.

== Description ==
Mānuka is a prolific shrub-type tree and is often one of the first species to regenerate on cleared land. It is typically a shrub growing to {{convert|2|-|5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall, but can grow into a moderately sized tree, up to {{convert|15|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} or so in height. It is [[evergreen]], with dense branching and small leaves {{cvt|7|–|20|mm}} long and {{cvt|2|–|6|mm|sigfig=2}} broad, with a short spine tip. The flowers are white, occasionally pink, {{cvt|8|–|15|mm}} – rarely up to {{cvt|25|mm}} – in diameter, with five petals. The wood is tough and hard.

Mānuka is often confused with the related species [[Kunzea ericoides|kānuka]] (''Kunzea ericoides'') – the easiest way to tell the difference between the two species in the field is to feel their foliage – mānuka leaves are prickly, while kānuka leaves are soft.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dawson |first1=John |last2=Lucas |first2=Rob |year=2000 |title=Nature guide to the New Zealand forest |publisher=Godwit |isbn=1-86962-055-0}}</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2025}} Alternatively, the seed capsules of mānuka are large ({{convert|5|-|7|mm|abbr=in|disp=or}} in diameter)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://m.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=2302 |title=Leptospermum scoparium var. scoparium |website= New Zealand Plant Conservation Network |access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref> and often remain on the plant year round, whereas the seed capsules of kānuka are much smaller ({{convert|2.2|-|4.6|mm|sigfig=2|abbr=in|disp=or}} in diameter)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://m.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=7644|title=Kunzea robusta |website=New Zealand Plant Conservation Network |access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref> and are not present for much of the year.

==History and habitat==
Evidence suggests that ''Leptospermum scoparium'' originated in Australia before the onset of the [[Miocene]] aridity, and moved as a result of [[Biological dispersal|long-distance dispersal events]] to New Zealand from eastern Australia sometime during the last 20 million years.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Stephens|first1=J. M. C.|last2=Molan|first2=P. C.|last3=Clarkson|first3=B. D.|year=2005|url=http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/5362|title=A review of ''Leptospermum scoparium'' (Myrtaceae) in New Zealand|issn=0028-825X|journal=New Zealand Journal of Botany|volume=43|issue=2|pages=431–449|doi=10.1080/0028825X.2005.9512966|s2cid=53515334|publication-date=2010-03-17|doi-access=free|bibcode=2005NZJB...43..431S|archive-date=2021-07-27 |access-date=2021-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727080610/https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/5362|url-status=live}}</ref> Cyclones and other wind activity are most likely responsible for transporting seeds long distances.<ref name="Thompson J. 1988"/> Supporters of this claim cite evidence that the genus ''[[Leptospermum]]'' arose under conditions where frequent forest fires were common (i.e. in Australia, and not temperate New Zealand), because they possess fire-adaptive traits like [[serotiny]] and storage [[lignotuber]]s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Bond|first1=William J.|last2=Dickinson|first2=Katharine J. M.|last3=Mark|first3=Alan F.|date=2004-02-19|title=What limits the spread of fire-dependent vegetation? Evidence from geographic variation of serotiny in a New Zealand shrub: Serotiny in a New Zealand shrub|journal=Global Ecology and Biogeography|volume=13|issue=2|pages=115–127|doi=10.1111/j.1466-882X.2004.00070.x}}</ref> It has been postulated that on arrival in New Zealand, ''L. scoparium'' became established in limited [[edaphic]]ally suitable areas until the [[History of New Zealand#Māori arrival and settlement|arrival of the Polynesian people]], whose fire and forest-clearing brought about the low-nutrient-status soils for which it was preadapted in its homeland.<ref name="NZGJ2008" /> It is now more common in New Zealand than it is in Australia. It is found throughout New Zealand, but is particularly common on the drier east coasts of the North and South Islands, and in Australia in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales.

== Ecology ==
=== Fire ecology ===

Mānuka is one of the few New Zealand native species which are [[Fire ecology|adapted to fire]], able to respond to fire by opening seed pods and dispursing in recently disturbed ground.<ref name="MeaningTrees">{{cite q|Q118646408|pp=42-47}}</ref>

=== Native bush regeneration ===

Mānuka can quickly colonise areas of disturbed land, and can create environments where other native species can establish more successfully. Because of this, mānuka is often utilised by conservation projects in New Zealand.<ref name="MeaningTrees"/>

=== Pests and diseases ===
The adult mānuka beetle (''[[Pyronota festiva]]'') and its larvae feed on ''Leptospermum scoparium'' in New Zealand.<ref name="Shrublands">{{cite web|title=Shrublands guide |url=http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/environmentwaste/coastalmarine/Documents/shrublandsguide.pdf |website=Auckland Council|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref> The [[scale insect]], ''[[Eriococcus orariensis]]'', is a sap-sucking insect that feeds on ''L. scoparium''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ayson |first=E. C |date=1955 |title=Manuka blight in Northern Hawkes Bay |journal=Journal of New Zealand Grasslands |volume=17 |pages=49–61 |doi=10.33584/jnzg.1955.17.1046}}</ref>

=== Pollinators ===
Pollinators that visit ''Leptospermum scoparium'' include ''[[Melangyna novaezelandiae]]'', [[Hylaeus (bee)|''Hylaeus'']], and [[Honey bee|honeybees]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Primack |first=Richard B. |date=1983-07-01|title=Insect pollination in the New Zealand mountain flora |journal=New Zealand Journal of Botany|volume=21|issue=3|pages=317–333 |doi=10.1080/0028825X.1983.10428561|bibcode=1983NZJB...21..317P |issn=0028-825X}}</ref>

=== Continued evolution ===

''Leptospermum scoparium'' is in the process of evolutionary differentiation as a result of its isolation from fellow members of the ''[[Leptospermum]]'' genus. New studies demonstrate a loss of lignotubers among populations of ''Leptospermum scoparium'' located in relatively fire-free zones of New Zealand's South Island, while Australian and Tasmanian populations retain their lignotubers along with stronger manifestations of serotiny.<ref name=":0" /> Australian populations of ''Leptospermum scoparium'' are shown to be chemically distinct from their New Zealand counterparts, with significantly higher levels of [[Eucalyptol|cinteole]] and [[Monoterpene|monoterpines]]. Chemotypical variations also exist between different populations within New Zealand, leading some to suggest that ''L. scoparium'' be divided into three subspecies: those with high [[pinene]]s, high [[triketone]]s, and high [[sesquiterpene]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Perry|first1=Nigel B.|last2=Brennan|first2=Nerida J.|last3=Van Klink|first3=John W.|last4=Harris|first4=Warwick|last5=Douglas|first5=Malcolm H.|last6=McGimpsey|first6=Jennifer A.|last7=Smallfield|first7=Bruce M.|last8=Anderson|first8=Rosemary E.|date=April 1997|title=Essential oils from New Zealand manuka and kanuka: Chemotaxonomy of Leptospermum|journal=Phytochemistry|volume=44|issue=8|pages=1485–1494|doi=10.1016/s0031-9422(96)00743-1|bibcode=1997PChem..44.1485P |issn=0031-9422}}</ref> Recently, however, new research suggests that plant-to-plant variation far outstrips the variation seen between geographically isolated manuka sites, at least with regard to nectar chemistry.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Noe |first1=Stevie |last2=Manley-Harris |first2=Merilyn |author-link2=Merilyn Manley-Harris |last3=Clearwater |first3=Michael J. |date=2019-10-02 |title=Floral nectar of wild mānuka (''Leptospermum scoparium'') varies more among plants than among sites |journal=New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science |volume=47 |issue=4 |pages=282–296 |doi=10.1080/01140671.2019.1670681 |bibcode=2019NZJCH..47..282N |issn=0114-0671 |s2cid=204143940}}</ref>

== Names ==
The name ''mānuka'' is [[Māori language|Māori]];<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/3596 |title=mānuka|dictionary=Te Aka Māori Dictionary|date=2003|first=John C. |last=Moorfield |access-date=12 January 2018}}</ref> it comes from [[Proto-Polynesian language|Proto-Polynesian]] *''nukanuka'' or *''nuka'' which refers to ''[[Decaspermum fruticosum]]'' due to its similar small white flowers; it is a [[doublet (linguistics)|doublet]] of the aforementioned ''kānuka'' (referring to not only ''[[Kunzea ericoides]]'' but also ''[[Kunzea robusta]]'').<ref>{{cite web |title=*Nuka, *Nukanuka, *-nuka |url=http://www.temarareo.org/PPN-Manuka.html |date=2022 |website=Te Māra Reo |publisher=Benson Family Trust |access-date=30 October 2022}}</ref>

Other common names for this species are  ''New Zealand teatree'',<ref name=GRIN/> ''broom tea-tree'',<ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17}}</ref> just ''tea tree'', ''{{lang|mi|kāhikatoa}}'',<ref name="manuka">{{cite web|title=Mānuka/kāhikatoa and kānuka|url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/manuka-kahikatoa-and-kanuka/|publisher=New Zealand Government – Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Department of the Environment|access-date=7 July 2017|archive-date=2017-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705122517/http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/manuka-kahikatoa-and-kanuka/|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''mānuka myrtle''.<ref name=GRIN>{{GRIN | access-date = 15 December 2017}}</ref> [[Captain Cook]] assigned the name ''tea tree'' as his men would use the leaves to make a [[infusion|'tea' drink]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Salmon |first=John T. |year=1980 |title=The Native Trees of New Zealand |publisher=Reed |isbn=0-589-01340-8 |pages=162}}</ref> "Jelly bush" is also used in Australia to describe similar honey from ''[[Leptospermum polygalifolium]]''. 

==Cultivation==
Numerous [[cultivars]] have been developed for garden use, of which the following have gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]]:<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants – Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 59 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | access-date = 21 March 2018 | archive-date = 2020-05-03  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200503221317/https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref> 
*(Nanum Group) 'Kiwi'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector – ''Leptospermum scoparium'' (Nanum Group) 'Kiwi'|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/58195/Leptospermum-scoparium-(Nanum-Group)-Kiwi/Details | publisher = RHS | access-date = 1 October 2020}}</ref> 
*'Nichollsii Nanum'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector – ''Leptospermum scoparium'' 'Nichollsii Nanum'|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/59985/Leptospermum-scoparium-Nichollsii-Nanum/Details|publisher=RHS|access-date=1 October 2020|archive-date=2020-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007114914/https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/59985/Leptospermum-scoparium-Nichollsii-Nanum/Details|url-status=live}}</ref> 
*'Red Damask'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector – ''Leptospermum scoparium'' 'Red Damask'|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/96413/Leptospermum-scoparium-Red-Damask-(d)/Details|publisher=RHS|access-date=1 October 2020|archive-date=2021-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617063109/https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/96413/Leptospermum-scoparium-Red-Damask-(d)/Details|url-status=live}}</ref> 
*'Silver Sheen'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector – ''Leptospermum scoparium'' 'Silver Sheen'|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/177474/Leptospermum-Silver-Sheen/Details|publisher=RHS|access-date=1 October 2020|archive-date=2020-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008001033/https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/177474/Leptospermum-Silver-Sheen/Details|url-status=live}}</ref>

Many more cultivars are available in New Zealand but often the plant performs better in cultivation overseas. This is because in its homeland it is subject to attack by scale insects that secrete a honeydew on which grows a sooty mould that eventually debilitates the plant. Because of this, attempts have been made, with limited commercial success, to cross the showy New Zealand cultivars with mould-resistant Australian ''Leptospermum'' species.<ref>{{cite web|title=1999 RNZIH Conference Report|url=http://www.rnzih.org.nz/pages/1999ConferenceWarwickHarris1.htm|access-date=5 December 2013|archive-date=2013-12-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213002855/http://www.rnzih.org.nz/pages/1999ConferenceWarwickHarris1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Uses==
[[Image:ManukaEssentialOil.png|thumb|upright|Mānuka (''Leptospermum scoparium'') essential oil in a clear glass vial]]

In traditional [[Māori culture]], mānuka was used for a wide variety of uses, including as a building material, for items such as combs, paddles and digging sticks, to contruct eel weirs, for weaponry, and to construct pallisade walls of [[pā]]. The plant also had uses in traditional [[rongoā]] medicine, with influsions being made from leaves, or by collecting mānuka gum.<ref name="MeaningTrees"/>

The wood was often used for tool handles. Mānuka [[sawdust]] imparts a distinctive flavour when used for [[Smoking (food)|smoking]] meats and fish.<ref name="MeaningTrees"/> It is cultivated in Australia and New Zealand for [[mānuka honey]], produced when [[honeybee]]s gather the [[nectar]] from its flowers, and for the pharmaceutical industry. It is also used for carving. [[Manuka oil|An essential oil]], for which many medicinal claims are made, is produced by steam distillation of its leaves. Mānuka, as it is called by most New Zealanders, was used in pre-European times by Māori, and still is. A [[decoction]] of the leaves was drunk for urinary complaints and as a febrifuge (an agent for reducing fever). The steam from leaves boiled in water was inhaled for head colds. A decoction was prepared from the leaves and bark and the warm liquid was rubbed on stiff muscles and aching joints. The emollient white gum, called ''pai mānuka'', was given to nursing babies and also used to treat scalds and burns. Chewing the bark is said to have a relaxing effect and it enhances sleep.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manukaoil.com/manuka_oil_uses.htm|title=Manuka Oil Uses and Information|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327064607/http://www.manukaoil.com/manuka_oil_uses.htm|archive-date=2016-03-27}}</ref>

Mānuka leaves have been used as a flavouring agent in craft beers and tonics.<ref name="MeaningTrees"/>
==Parakeets and parasites==
[[Kākāriki]] parakeets (''Cyanoramphus'') use the leaves and bark of mānuka and kānuka to rid themselves of parasites. Apart from ingesting the material, they also chew it, mix it with [[preen gland]] oil and apply it to their feathers.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Greene|first=Terry|title=Antiparasitic behaviour in New Zealand parakeets (''Cyanoramphus'' species)|journal=[[Notornis (journal)|Notornis]]|volume=36|issue=4|date=1989|pages=322–323|url=http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_36_4.pdf|issn=0029-4470|archive-date=2016-01-26 |access-date=2014-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126094007/http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_36_4.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Manuka, Australian Capital Territory]], which, although it is pronounced differently, was indirectly named after the New Zealand name for the tree.
* Tea plants (''[[Camellia sinensis]]'') are also grown commercially in New Zealand.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* New Zealand Plant Conservation Network – ''[http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=2302 Leptospermum scoparium]'' [http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=2302 var. ''scoparium'']
* [https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.2005.9512966 A review of ''Leptospermum scoparium'' (Myrtaceae) in New Zealand]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1520028}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Leptospermum|scoparium]]
[[Category:Flora of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Flora of Tasmania]]
[[Category:Flora of Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Trees of Australia]]
[[Category:Trees of New Zealand]]
[[Category:Crops originating from New Zealand]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Myrtales of Australia]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Māori medicine]]
[[Category:New Zealand cuisine]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Georg Forster]]
[[Category:Pakihi]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Reinhold Forster]]