An internet search last weekend finally enabled me to identify a mystery shrub that first saw at Duffryn Rhondda (SS838957) in 2011, but which we happened to pass again over the weekend. Known also as Broom Tea-tree
Leptospermum scoparium, Mānuka utilised by bees in New Zealand produce honey famed for its medicinal properties. I'm sure the local bees enjoy the sweetness of this single shrub, though I doubt Welsh Mānuka honey is a viable business proposition! The presence of a row of
Eucalyptus trees nearby indicates an Antipodean influence in the local planting scheme, but the location of the scrub amongst natural scrub indicates the possibility that the plant could have resulted from self-seeding - although no search for a parent plant was made in local gardens. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has encountered this distinctive species elsewhere locally?
2 comments:
This species grows happily in my garden on West Cliff, Southgate, seedlings have never escaped beyond the garden wall onto the cliff top though.
If this is Dyffryn Rhondda in the Afan Valley, a lot of tree planting was carried out in the 1980s. One project was to plant trees from different parts of the world, reflecting significant populations of Welsh emigration. It's possible that, (if this is the Afan Valley) several other exotic trees/shrubs from other regions of the world may have survived - despite the best efforts of the local sheep!
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