If you might be walking alongside one of many many tracks in our bushland reserves between October and December you could chance across a Kunzea ambigua (White Kunzea or Tick Bush).
This bush is pretty frequent, particularly in open scrubby woodland and heath with sandy soils. It is considered one of the first to regrow after its habitat has been disturbed by clearing.
In Hidden in the Hills Kunzeas , this bush which can develop up to 3 metres tall, and in season, may be coated with a prolific crop of delicate white flowers with very lengthy stamens which conceal the petals.
Kunzea Native Flower: A Symphony of Colors and Scents
Native FlowersThese flowers present a welcome source of nectar for all sorts of bugs in addition to small nectar feeding and insectivorous birds.
When taking the time to look into the bush it's possible to look at some of the bugs that prefer to reside in its neighborhood.
This explicit species is typically utilized in gardens, particularly those featuring a variety of native crops. When kept compact by pruning it presents nicely as a seasonal specimen plant.
The identify “Tick Bush” apparently comes from folks observing that some native animals like to lay under the bush. It was thought that the fragrant oil content of the foliage might deter ticks and mites.
Growing in an analogous habitat is the much less frequent Kunzea capitata (Pink Kunzea). This smaller variety may develop to around 1.5 metres high, and shall be in flower usually from September to October.
Native FlowersThe deep pink flowers have small white pin head measurement globular dots on the ends of the stamens. Several flowers are clustered together in direction of the ends of branches which have a particular reddish-brown colouration.
This shrub is often more compact than its relative. It too could be grown as an ornamental specimen in a house native garden.