Tetiana Koldunenko

River tea-tree

My Travel Impressions Collection

2024

Acrylic on canvas

15.2 x15.2 cm

Melaleuca bracteata, commonly known as the black tea-tree, river tea-tree, or mock olive, is a plant in the Myrtaceae family and is endemic to northern Australia. This species flowers profusely, and its crushed leaves were traditionally used as an insect repellent.

The plant is also scented and used in the production of soap, perfume, and insect repellents. The common name “tea tree” has been applied to species from the genera Leptospermum, Melaleuca, Kunzea, and Baeckea. This naming originated during Captain James Cook’s 1770 voyage to Australia, when sailors used the leaves of a shrub from one of these groups as a substitute for tea (Camellia sinensis).