Backhousia myrtifolia
| Backhousia myrtifolia | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 39' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Backhousia myrtifolia (common name: grey myrtle)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow in spring or autumn in a greenhouse and keep the compost moist until germination takes place. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in a frame[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a position in full sun in a fertile moisture retentive well-drained soil[1].
A very ornamental plant[2], in Britain it is only reliably hardy in the Scilly Isles[2]. Plants in Australian gardens tolerate temperatures down to at least -7°c[3], but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters.
Seed can remain viable on the plant for 3 - 4 years[1].
Range: Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, E. Victoria.
Habitat: Gullies and the margins of rainforests[4].
Usage: An essential oil is obtained from the leaves[5]. The uses are not specified.
Wood - hard, tough, strong, close grained. Used for tool handles, wheels, construction etc[5].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Wrigley, John and Murray Fagg. Australian Native Plants. Collins, 1988.
- ↑ Carolin, R. Flora of the Sydney Region. Reed, 1993.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ewart, Alfred. Recording Census of the Victorian Flora. 1923.