tea tree

species: Melaleuca alternifolia

common name: tea tree

family: Myrtaceae

where & when encountered: Australia - 2017

I credit Wilsons Prom National Park for clarifying what tea trees look like. The Melaleuca genus also includes a common street tree in California that looks very different (Melaleuca quinquenervia), but the primary source of the famous tea tree oil are these these gnarled looking trees seen growing all over the Prom.