Cinnamon myrtle
Backhousia myrtifolia, Fam. Myrtaceae
Tall shrub or small bushy tree, to 7-8m, with a slender trunk and scaly brown bark.
| Weed Category: | |
| Weed: | No |
| Form or habit: | Shrub, Small tree |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Leaf: | Egg shaped, pointed, dark green and shiny above, paler beneath, 2.5-7 x 1-2.5cm. New growth hairy and often pink. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
White |
| Flower description: | White, fluffy flowers, 1.5-2cm in diameter, borne in clusters near the ends of branches. October to January. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Green, Yellow |
| Fruit: | |
| Fruit description: | Capsules, enclosed by fleshy, yellow green sepals. |
| Habitat: | Rainforest. |
| Distribution | Queensland, New South Wales. |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | Australia. |
| Notes: | Prefers semi-shade in warmer regions. Responds to fertilizer and abundant watering. An excellent host tree for orchids and epiphytes. Propagate from seed or cuttings. Wood is very hard. |
| Information sources: | Townsend K. & the Society for Growing Australian Plant Townsville Branch Inc. (1994) Across the Top: Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics. |
