Where does the tea tree grow? The tea tree and other plants of the tea family
The tea family (Theaceae) includes low or medium height (up to 30 m) trees or shrubs with simple or alternate leathery leaves. The flowers are usually solitary, actinomorphic and usually quite large, white, pink, occasionally dark red.
The tea family includes 10 genera and about 500 species., distributed mainly in the tropics and subtropics of the Old and New Worlds. Some representatives are characteristic of the temperate zone of North America and East Asia.
The systematic composition of the tea family is limited to only two subfamilies. The first subfamily of teas (Theoideae) is characterized by movable anthers and a fruit-box or dry drupe that opens in nests. The second subfamily, the Ternstroemioideae, is characterized by immobile anthers and an indehiscent berry-like or the same, but dry fruit.
The most popular plant of the tea family is, of course, the tea tree, or tea bush or simply tea (Thea sinensis). Tea is most correctly considered a monotypic genus, that is, including one species - Thea. As for other "species", these are most likely only varieties and varieties of the same Chinese tea. More interesting than others is the Assam variety (Thea sinensis var. assamica).
A. P. Krasnov, the author of a major work on the tea plant and its world culture, considered birthplace of tea forests of subtropical oaks throughout the south of East Asia, from the Himalayas to Japan. More precisely, to which Krasnov was also inclined, it must be recognized as the birthplace of tea forest areas of Assam, Burma, Yunnan Province of China and North Vietnam. The fact that this area is the real homeland of the tea plant is evidenced by many data. The local wild tea is a real tree with a trunk up to 50-60 cm in diameter, but no more than 10 m in height. This tree is found under the canopy of a subtropical forest, consisting of evergreen oaks and laurels, as well as trees from the tea family. This, besides the tea itself, Schima wallichii, Gordonia (Gordonia), etc. The Assam variety of tea growing here is the least cold-resistant; its leaves are membranous rather than leathery, and larger than those of the Chinese and other varieties. In phylogenetic terms, the Assamese variety is considered primary.
In the south of the Chinese province of Yunnan, wild tea, which forms the undergrowth in the local forests, is introduced into cultivation by replanting new plants under the canopy of these forests. Here, cultivated tea is no different from mother wild trees. But in countries where tea production is put on a scientific basis, for example in Sri Lanka, a number of standard varieties for various specific tea plantations have long been obtained through hybridization and clonal selection, followed by vegetative propagation, taking into account high-altitude climatic zones and all other local conditions. Wild tea is widely used in Vietnam.
Tea tree. Yunnan
The cultivars of the tea plant differ little morphologically from the wild ancestor. If wild-growing tea is a tree, then cultivated tea is simply due to the constant cutting of young leaves and short shoots - a shrub in the form of growth. The leaves of wild-growing tea are larger and softer, up to 15 cm long. In ordinary cultivated Chinese teas, the leaves are even shorter than 5 cm. Here and there the leaves are regular, oblong-elliptical, pointed. The flowers are large, up to 4 cm in diameter or more, with a weak aroma, white, solitary or 2-3. There are 5-6 sepals, and up to 9 petals. The fruit is a 3-5-celled box, each nest of which contains one spherical seed with a hard shell. In the tropics, tea bloom occurs at any time of the year and lasts for several months.
Leaves and flowers Thea
The most important areas of tea culture are India (primarily the Himalayan regions of Assam and Darjeeling, as well as the Nilgiri mountains in southern India), Sri Lanka, south of China (provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Guangxi and Guangxi Zhuang), Taiwan.
High quality tea is produced on the island of Java, in northern Vietnam, Myanmar, Japan, Bangladesh, Iran (in Mazandaran and in the Gilan mountains), Azerbaijan (in the Gilan mountains), and in the Caucasus. In addition, tea is grown in Malaysia, Laos, northern Thailand, Mauritius, Pakistan, Turkey, Africa (Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Cameroon, Mauritania, Zaire, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe), Argentina , Brazil, Uruguay, Peru.
The main groups of tea varieties are black, then green. The so-called "flower tea" has nothing to do with the flowers of the tea plant. The highest quality tea is made from the most tender tops of the leaves; when brewed, the infusion acquires a golden hue and a special aroma. In China, they also make a tea drink from the tea root.
Tea production is carried out directly at primary processing tea factories and includes the following main technological processes: withering, rolling, fermentation and drying.
If in the production of black tea the purpose of the technological process is the development of oxidative reactions (fermentation) that cause the formation of flavor and aromatic products, as well as red and brown pigments characteristic of black tea infusion, then in the production of green tea the main goal is to exclude the development of oxidative processes at the first stage. the same production stage to obtain light yellow tea with a specific taste and aroma. Green tea, which has gone through all the stages of technological processing, retains almost the entire volume of catechins and vitamins (5–6 times more than in black tea) contained in the initial raw material - the tea leaf. As for the content of tannins, green tea has twice as many tannins as black tea, and biologically they are in a more active state, since they are present in an unoxidized form.
Yellow tea and red tea (Oolong) are intermediate between black and green, with yellow tea closer to green and red tea closer to black. Yellow tea is a pleasant refreshing drink, with a milder taste and stronger aroma than green tea. This type of tea is characterized by a higher content of catechins, vitamins and extractives, so it is also more valuable physiologically than black tea. The main producer and consumer of yellow tea is China. There, this type of tea, along with green tea, is especially popular. Red tea (Oolong) forms an amber-red infusion, has a wonderful aroma and a very pleasant tart taste. Sometimes it is used when blending with black tea, in order to improve the taste of the latter.
The height at which tea trees grow is important for any tea. The higher the tea plantations, the greater the temperature fluctuations during the day the tea leaf experiences. This allows him to accumulate in himself all the valuable substances and not spend them at night (the period of low vegetation). During the day, the temperature can approach 30C, and at night it drops to 3C. This is an ideal climate that gives the tea a rich taste and a long aftertaste.
The second place in terms of practical value after tea among representatives of the tea family is undoubtedly occupied by the genus Camellia. subfamily Theoideae. Systematically, this genus is closest to the tea genus (Theasinensis) and by some botanists is combined into one genus under the common name Camellia (Camellia). The most obvious difference is, in essence, only that the leaves of tea are almost sessile, while those of camellias are petiolate. In the first of these genera, the sepals remain with the fruits, in the second - falling off. Camellias are first-class ornamental plants - in this capacity they are cultivated. These are evergreen trees or shrubs. The corolla is large and colored in all shades from pure white and pale pink to bright red, carmine and maroon. The genus Camellia includes 80 species. So far, mainly Japanese species and varieties are widely cultivated; Chinese species are very rare, meanwhile, in their homeland, only in one province of Yunnan, many beautiful varieties are known.
Japanese camellia
The tea family (Theaceae) includes subfamily Theoideae, among which there are large trees up to 30 m high as the Schema of Wallich (S. wallichii), characteristic of the tropical forests of the Eastern Himalayas, the Chinese province of Yunnan, Indochina, and Sri Lanka.
The second subfamily of tea - ternstromievye (Ternstroemioideae)- concludes the extensive pantropical genus Ternstremia (Ternstroemia), which includes about 130 species, then the Asian tropical genus Anneslea (Anneslea), consisting of three species, the monotypic genus of sweetness (Sladenia), characteristic of Burma and southern China. Further, 8 genera are known from the Adinandreae tribe: Adinandra with 70 species from tropical and subtropical Asia and (one species) from the Congo River basin in Africa. This also includes three large genera: Eurya (Eurya) of 100 species, Cleyera of 16 species, Freziera of 35 species. The first of these genera is tropical Asian, the second is also Asian, and the third is South American. The oligotypic genus Balthasaria (3 species) from tropical Africa and the monotypic genus Visnea from the islands of Tenerife and Madeira complete the systematic composition of genera from the tribe Adinander.
From China, a number of genera of the tea family have been described relatively recently, partly with not quite clear systematic relationships: Kaliosocarpus (Kaliosocarpus), Parapiquetia (Parapiquetia), Tutcheria (Tutcheria), Yunnanea (Yunnanea). Even earlier, the genera Sinopyrenaria (Sinopyrenaria) and the charter (Hartia) were established.
Almost all representatives of the tea family are evergreen trees or shrubs, characteristic mainly of mountain tropical and subtropical forests. Only species of the genera Stuartia and Franklicia are deciduous trees or large shrubs from areas with a warm temperate climate.
In terms of life forms, the tea family is monotonous (trees and shrubs). The vines include only the monotypic genus Asteropeia (Asteropeia), allocated to a special family. Another monotypic genus - pelliciera (Pelliciera) - is also separated into a separate family. This is a typical mangrove tree with stilted roots, like a rhizophora (Rhizophora).
Based on the materials of the encyclopedia "Plant Life" in 6 volumes, edited by A.L. Takhtadzhyan, editor-in-chief A.A. Fedorov and based on materials from the Znaytovar website.en
“Tea tree” has nothing to do with the tea we drink in the morning. Even the Aboriginal tribes living in Australia used the oil of this tree as an aid for insect bites and cuts to heal wounds. It could cure burns, diaper rash, and leg infections. It was they who discovered the secret of this tree. Today, tree oil is used in cosmetology and medicine.
Tea tree (Melaleuca) is an evergreen Australian tree, belongs to the genus of tropical trees and shrubs. It is very close to the genus myrtle - eucalyptus. It is called silver or "white tree".
The most common species is Melaleuca alternifolia.
There are two more species from which the essential oil is obtained - these are Melaleuca viridiflora and Melaleuca leucadendra.
Cajuput tree (Melaleuca leucadendra) is a plant that grows wild in New Guinea, Indonesia, Indochina, Australia and the Solomon Islands. It grows in height up to 27 m.
The bark of the tree is thick and resembles a sponge. It has the appearance of exfoliating patches. They call it black and white. It is dark below and whitish above.
Young branches are called silvery or silky. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, as well as the fruits, rich in druze (oily clusters), from which medicinal oil is then obtained. The flowers of this plant are collected in spike-shaped inflorescences. Of all the species of plants, and there are up to 50 of them, only a few are grown as ornamental plants. For example, Melaleuca Diosmifolia with greenish flowers, Melaleuca coronata with lilac flowers, Melaleuca fulgens with red flowers.
Melaleuca Diosmifolia
Melaleuca coronata
Melaleuca fulgens
Melaleuca nervosa
The legend of the tea tree.
Once upon a time, there was a healing lagoon off the coast of Australia that helped the natives heal all their wounds. And the secret of this lake was simple - trees grew on its shores, the leaves of which fell into the water and thus turned this reservoir into an antiseptic bath. In addition, the color of the water turned brown, reminiscent of bathers - tea. Hence the name “Tea Tree” appeared for this wonderful tree.
But even today there is such a lake - it is called Brown Lake. It is located on the island of North Stradbroke, in Queensland, Australia.
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Australian tea tree The medicinal plant has been used to extract oil from its leaves, which has a wide range of medicinal properties.
Latin name: Melaleuca alternifolia.
English title: Tea tree, Australian tea tree.
Family: Myrtle - Myrtaceae.
Used Parts: leaves.
Habitat: In nature, the Australian tea tree grows only in a very small area in New South Wales (Australia).
Photo of a medicinal plant Australian tea tree
Botanical description: There are more than 200 varieties of tea tree, but only one of them - Melaleuca alternifolia - has properties that are important from the point of view of medicine, and only from it is obtained antiseptic oil. The Australian tea tree is an narrow-leaved tree with thin, paper-like bark and is the smallest of the group of tea trees, reaching a height of no more than 7 meters with soft, bright green leaves that look like needles and small, light flowers that resemble a brush for washing bottles. .
Active ingredients: natural tea tree essential oil is a very complex chemical composition complex. It contains about fifty organic components, the main part of which is monoterpenes (up to 50%) and diterpenes (about 40%). The rest of the composition falls on cineole (up to 15%). In addition, tea tree oil contains 4 rare components that cannot be found in nature during the day with fire. These are viridifloren, L-ternineol, B-terpineol and allihexanoate.
Collection and preparation: Harvested tea tree leaves are steam distilled. Pure tea tree essence is a colorless liquid with a specific, pleasant smell.
About tea tree
Nowadays, tea tree oil can be found in many people's medicine cabinets. Doctors and healers show increased interest in this unusual oil. The healing effects of tea tree essential oil are confirmed by numerous studies and tests. Tea tree oil should be in every home, as it has a wide therapeutic spectrum and in many cases can successfully replace modern medicines.
The phrase "tea tree" for many readers will surely be associated with tea - our favorite drink. But it should immediately be noted that the tea tree growing in Australia, from which Tea Tree Oil is produced, has nothing to do with ours. This is not to say that it has nothing to do with tea at all.
More than two hundred years ago, the brave navigator James Cook, who sailed to Australia, noticed that the natives were preparing tea from the leaves of this exotic plant - and he simply called this tree Tea. In fact, the Aborigines of Australia used this plant in the form of a tea to treat many diseases, and also as an antidote for snake bites, they applied gruel from the crushed leaves of this tree to stab and cut wounds. For this purpose, this tea tree has been used by the indigenous people of Australia for many hundreds of years.
Together with Cook, the English naturalist Joseph Banks also sailed the seas. He decided to test first on himself, and then on the compatriots around him, the effect of tea tree leaves. It turned out to be very beneficial, and Banks began to treat many diseases with this drug.
On other continents, the healing properties of the tea tree were learned much later. It began to be widely used only after special studies were carried out in 1923, which found that the antiseptic effect of oil isolated from tea tree leaves is much stronger than that of phenol (carbolic acid), and 5 times stronger than that of alcohol (scientific evidence of the bactericidal properties of Australian tea tree oil was first presented by A. Penfold, who published a work in 1925 in which the evidence was given).
After that, tea tree oil began to be widely used in Europe and America for bacterial and fungal diseases of the skin and mucous membranes. In the 1930s, it was used as an antiseptic for oral hygiene, to disinfect wounds, and it was also added to hand soap.
It has been found to kill typhoid bacillus 60 times faster than other similar remedies. During World War II, tea tree oil was part of the Australian Army soldier's first aid kit. Sugar makers in Australia use a 40% solution of tea tree oil to treat superficial burns.
Tea tree oil was widely used in British machine factories, blended with work oils to reduce absenteeism due to cut and scrape infections. In the South Pacific, people rubbed it on their bodies to ward off mosquitoes and other insects.
Medicinal properties and uses of tea tree oil
100% Australian tea tree oil, manufactured in the USA according to the international GMP quality standard for medicines.
Photo of 100% Australian Tea Tree Oil Bactericidal properties. The results of the latest research show that tea tree oil works effectively in cases where antibiotics are practically powerless. For example, it destroys Staphylococcus aureus, which lives on the surface of the skin and on the mucous membranes. Previously, this type of staphylococcus was controlled with mupirocin, but recently a subspecies has appeared that is no longer affected by mupirocin. A unique ingredient, viridofloren, has been found in tea tree oil. It is not contained even in plants widely known for their bactericidal properties, like. Tea tree oil inhibits the growth of many pathogenic bacteria such as staphylococci, strepto-, pneumo- and gonococci.
Antifungal Properties. Tea tree oil inhibits the growth of fungal flora. It is used in the treatment of fungal infections of the skin and nails, with candidiasis of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and vagina.
Antiseptic properties. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic that is widely used as an ingredient in cosmetics. It has a miraculous effect on the skin, healing, rejuvenating, nourishing and protecting it. Tea tree essential oil is found in many face and body creams and lotions, as well as shampoos, colognes, and deodorants. This oil is especially recommended for oily, polluted and sensitive skin. Creams with tea tree oil rejuvenate the skin of the face, protect it from the effects of adverse environmental influences, without clogging the pores.
Anti-inflammatory properties. The main indications for the use of tea tree oil are infectious skin diseases: furunculosis, acne, infections of the nail bed, small wounds, abrasions. Effective oil in the treatment of bruises, calluses, blisters, bedsores, carbuncles, acne, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis - any skin infections. Very effectively, this oil helps with cuts and burns of the skin (including burns from poisonous plants), with insect bites (including bees).
Antiviral properties. Prevention and treatment of colds, SARS, influenza, herpes are effective when using tea tree oil in its pure form or diluted: in inhalations, rinses, rubbing and adding to the bath.
In natural cosmetics, it is used for daily care of oily, impure skin, warts. Helps strengthen hair and eliminate dandruff.
Aromatherapy properties. It is also noticed that tea tree oil, like many other essential oils, has a very positive effect on the human psyche. A few drops of this oil, applied to a neckerchief or handkerchief, tie, etc., will help a person to keep calm and presence of mind. Tea tree oil gives self-confidence, makes communication more free. The stimulating properties of this essential oil help relieve fatigue, increase efficiency, eliminate general weakness and significantly reduce the time of treatment of these diseases.
Storage and Precautions
- Avoid contact with eyes;
- Keep tea tree oil out of the reach of children;
- Caution should be exercised when using 100% Australian Tea Tree Oil in children under 3 years of age.
- Do not take tea tree oil internally.
- Do not store oil in plastic containers;
- Store oil in a cool place.
Feel: when applying pure (100%) tea oil to the skin, there will be a slight burning sensation, burning. POSSIBLE reddening of the skin within 2-3 minutes, these reactions are natural and should not be feared.
Contraindications. It is forbidden to lubricate open wounds or mucous membranes with tea tree oil. If a slight redness and burning sensation appears on the skin after applying the oil, this is a sign of an allergy. In this case, this product must be diluted with distilled water. In undiluted form, it is contraindicated in pregnant women and children under 1.5 years of age. Individual intolerance to the product.
Tea tree oil, like many other essential oils, is not recommended for ingestion. Such a reception is possible only under the strict supervision of a physician. This remedy is considered quite poisonous if it is in the stomach of a child.
Video about 100% tea oil from NSP
Russian name: Tea tree, Melaleuca
Latin name: Melaleuca
Family: Myrtle
motherland: Australia
general information: Tea tree or Melaleuca (lat. Melaleuca) - belongs to the genus of Australian trees and shrubs, the Myrtle family. This genus is very close to another genus of myrtle - eucalyptus. There are about 200 varieties of this plant. But only one of the species has important medical properties. The tea tree is considered one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Tea tree has nothing to do with tea. Tea is made from the leaves of the tea bush (Thea sinensis), a plant from the tea family (Theaceae), native to Southeast Asia. The tea tree comes from Australia.
The specific name of the plant from which “tea oil” is obtained is melaleuca (sometimes spelled “manuka”) alternifolia (Melaleuca alternifolia). The name melaleuka is translated from ancient Greek as "black and white" (melanos - "black" and leukos - "white"). Presumably this is due to the white color of the bark in some species, which turns black after the fires that often occur in the places where these plants grow. Melaleuca is also called paperbark tree and honey myrtle. The fact is that in many species of the genus, the thin bark exfoliates in patches that look like paper. And melaleuca flowers give a lot of nectar and have good melliferous properties.
For us, another name is more familiar - tea tree. There are two versions of where it came from. According to one of them, the sailors of the expedition of James Cook were the first to name melaleuca, who saw how the locals brew its leaves and drink it like tea. According to another version, melaleuca was so named due to the fact that its leaves stain the water in a dark color. In Australia, there is Brown Lake, along the banks of which Melaleuca grow. The fallen leaves of these plants line the bottom of the lake and turn it brown, like tea.
Melaleuca are evergreen small to medium sized shrubs, some species grow into trees up to 25 m tall. Ovate or lanceolate leaves from 1 to 25 cm long and from 0.5 to 7 cm wide are arranged alternately on the branches, the edge of the leaf is solid, the color is from dark green to gray-green. Petioles are short or absent. The leaves contain glands with essential oils; when rubbed, a characteristic camphor aroma is felt. From some types of melaleuca, essential oils are industrially isolated - Australian tea tree oil, cajuput (cajuput, cajeput, cajeput) oil, Niaoli oil, etc. They differ slightly in chemical and quantitative composition, but all have antiseptic properties and are widely used in folk and traditional medicine, cosmetology and perfumery.
The flowers of the tea tree are small, yellow or cream in color, shaped like a brush for washing bottles. The shape of the inflorescence can be spherical or irregular (whereas all callistemons have brush-shaped inflorescences). The flowers on the branches are arranged alternately with the leaves and the inflorescences continue as young growths. The calyx consists of 5 sepals, which often fall off immediately after the start of flowering. The effect of the flowers is given by numerous stamens collected in 5 bunches, they are brightly colored in red, pink, lilac, purple or yellow. The peak of flowering for most species occurs in spring (in Australia - from September to November). The flowers produce large amounts of nectar and are pollinated mainly by birds, but also by insects and bats. After flowering, hard capsules with small seeds are formed, which usually remain tightly closed and, in some species, often open only after the death of the tree or during a fire. Seeds in capsules can remain viable for more than one year.
This tree, or rather its leaves, are used to make essential oil. How and when people discovered the amazing properties of the oil that can be obtained from the leaves of melaleuca is difficult to say. Anthropologist Christopher Dean, who studied the life of Australian Aborigines, first mentioned this - they told him that the leaves of this tree have healing properties. Subsequently, Dean became one of the founders of the first tea tree plantations. In 1920, researcher A.R. Penfol of Sydney, studying the bactericidal properties of the oil obtained from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, obtained very good results. By the 1930s, this tool had become very popular and was used quite actively during the Second World War for disinfection and healing of wounds - until antibiotics began to be used. Then it was they who became the panacea for most ills, and tea tree oil was gradually forgotten. For 40 years, the industry of obtaining it has fallen into decline.
However, modern researchers are increasingly turning to traditional medicine, and in the 70s, Melaleuca alternifolia again attracted the attention of scientists. Chemical analysis showed that the oil contained in its leaves contains more than 50 different biologically active components, and is especially rich in various terpenes, including cineole, a substance that has excellent anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties. The leaves of this plant contain caffeine, tannin, and many vitamins much more than a lemon. When rubbing a tea tree leaf, you can feel the aroma, reminiscent of camphor.
The tea tree is back in plantations, and now the production of oil from its leaves is growing every year, as well as the demand for this mild, but very effective medicine.
The Melaleuca genus is very closely related to the Callistemon genus. The main difference is that all stamens in callistemons are attached to the flower independently of each other, while in melaleuka they are collected in 5 bunches. This difference is often clearly visible even to the naked eye, but is not clear enough for classification, and many botanists believe that callistemons should be included in the more numerous genus Melaleuca.
Most of the melaleuca species grow in the western part of Australia, where these plants form the most beautiful flowering thickets. All of them, like Melaleuca alternifolia, are shrubs, less often trees about 9 m high. The crowns of melaleuca are dense, shady, so that there is practically no vegetation under them. The leaves may be oblong, narrowly linear, or almost filiform. Beautiful white or pinkish-purple flowers with bright stamens are collected in dense capitate or ruff-shaped inflorescences. Melaleuca flowers are pollinated by insects, birds and mammals. For example, flowers of broad-leaved melaleuca (M.quiquenervia) are visited by insects and birds during the day, and at night long-tongued Australian fruit bats (Synonycteris australis) fly to them - small animals from the order of bats. In place of pollinated flowers, fruits are formed, which eventually become woody and remain on the branches for several years.
Species, varieties: 236 species are known. The most common species is Melaleuca alternifolia, other species are Melaleuca viridiflora and Melaleuca leucadendra. Essential oils are obtained from them. The species Melaleuca armillaris and Melaleuca howeana have no therapeutic value.
The most famous and popular species are "white-bark tea tree" (Melaleuka leucadendra), cajeput tree (M.cajuputi) and lemon tea tree (Leptospermum petersonii). The latter is bred on plantations in many countries of the world and essential oils with the smell of lemon are obtained from its leaves, which are used to flavor soaps and shampoos.
As a houseplant, usually only one species is grown - melaleuca alternifolia, which in nature grows up to 7 m. This melaleuca is famous for its unusual leaves: they reach a length of 12 cm and a width of no more than half a centimeter. Because of this, the leaves resemble needles.
Air humidity: In the summer, the tea tree needs frequent spraying of the leaves, the plant prefers a high level of humidity.
Lighting: Lighting prefers sunny, but in the summer it is not advisable to put the pot in direct sunlight, as melaleuca can get burned.
Priming: It is picky about the composition of the soil, but a slightly acidic and well-drained substrate is optimal. The soil mixture consists of peat, sand and soddy soil (2:1:1).
Watering: The tree must be watered abundantly in summer, and watering should be moderate in winter.
Care: Tea tree is an unpretentious plant. However, good sunlight is necessary. Watering from spring to autumn is plentiful, in winter it is watered after pouring the top layer of the earth. Does not tolerate overdrying of an earthen coma. The main problem of growing melaleuca in apartments is dry air. To maintain humidity, the plant should be sprayed, while this procedure will refresh the leaves from dust and promote growth.
Melaleuca, as well as any myrtle tree, needs a haircut, which is carried out constantly throughout the year, while the plant can be given any look, as far as your imagination is varied. Thanks to pruning, the flower takes root and grows faster.
The temperature in summer can be between 15-20°C, and in winter melaleuca can grow at 10°C. In nature, the plant can even tolerate temperatures as low as -7°C.
In winter, it is necessary to illuminate the plant with fluorescent, LED or special fitolamps, providing a 12-hour daylight hours. In the absence of additional lighting, it is necessary to reduce the temperature of the content, the best place would be a glazed non-freezing balcony, where the temperature should not fall below + 10 ° C. If the content is cool, it is necessary to reduce the amount of watering, keep the soil slightly moist.
top dressing: During the growing season, the plant needs top dressing, which should be done every two weeks.
reproduction: The tea tree is propagated by seeds that are planted immediately after harvest. Melaleuca seeds are small, they should be sown on the surface of the substrate, preferably inert mineral, and kept in a bright, warm place. Sowing is done at a depth of 3-4 cm.
In early spring and summer, the tea tree can be propagated using annual woody cuttings. Also in spring, a tea tree, or rather a seedling 15-20 cm long, is pruned to enhance tillering at a height of 10 cm from the soil surface. We do the second pruning the next year at a height of 15-30 cm. In general, pruning is done annually in order to expand the crown of the bush itself, to raise the height of the bush and to increase shoot formation.
Transfer: Young tea tree needs to be repotted once a year, and older plants are repotted as needed in the spring.
Possible difficulties: The main possible problems when growing melaleuca is the rotting of the root system. Possible reasons are too abundant watering, or early pruning of leaves.
Pests: At home, it can be affected by spider mites and mealybugs.
In case of an excess of moisture, you should remove the pot to a cool, but not cold place and let the earth dry out. Melaleuka does not like overdrying of the soil. In winter, you should wait for the topsoil to dry out and only then water it. At this time of the year there is a danger of root rot.
Tea tree oil can be used in quite a variety of ways. This is an excellent antiseptic, which is used to treat wounds, burns, abscesses, severe stomatitis. It is also used to treat complex skin diseases such as psoriasis. In addition, tea tree oil has antifungal properties, so it can be used to treat various external fungal diseases. It also exhibits antiviral activity and can be used to treat herpes. Tea tree oil is used both in its pure form - for example, for the treatment of fungal diseases of the nails, and in the form of aqueous solutions that are used to wash wounds, rinse the throat and mouth with various inflammatory processes in them.
09.08.2013 How beautiful!
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