m across, a compact columnar shrub to 3 m high by 1 m wide and a slender tree up to 18 m tall (only in Tasmania). History and uses Leptospermum lanigerum was the first Leptospermum species to be brought into cultivation in March 1773. Captain Tobias Furneaux, of , collected seed from Adventure Bay, Tasmania, as part of Captain James Cook's second visit to the South Seas. This seed was recorded as being in cultivation at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in 1774. Indigenous Australians had many uses for L. lanigerum, including the creation of kangaroo spears and double barbed spears from L. lanigerum wood. Young shoots and stems of many Leptospermum species were also used medicinally to treat urinary disorders. Although not widely drunk today, it is recorded that many Leptospermum species were used as a tea substitute by European settlers. Captain Cook's crew also brewed tea as they believed it would help prevent diseases such as scurvy. References lanigerum Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia)