Zieria smithii
| Zieria smithii | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 6' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Zieria smithii (common name: sandfly bush)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a warm greenhouse in the spring. 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. Consider giving the plants some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings. We have no information but suggest trying cuttings of almost ripe wood, August in a frame.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors in the milder areas of the country, especially if plants are obtained from the colder provenances of its range.
See the plants native habitat for ideas on its cultivation needs.
Range: Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat: Sandy forests or cleared areas near the coast[1], also in humid forest valleys to elevated mountain ravines[2].
Medicinal: Relieves headaches, though in concentration it can cause headaches[1].
Usage: An essential oil obtained from the leaves has similar properties to rue, Ruta graveolens[2]. The yield is about 0.4%[2]. The essential oil from rue is used in perfumery and as a food flavouring[3]. Rue was also formerly used as a strewing herb[4].
A yellow dye is obtained from the bark[2].
Wood - tough, yellow[2].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Z. arborescens. Z. lanceolata.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lassak, Erich and Tara McCarthy. Australian Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Ewart, Alfred. Recording Census of the Victorian Flora. 1923.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Niebuhr, Alta. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America, 1970.