Leptospermum scoparium

Mānuka (Māori pronunciation: [ˈmaːnʉka]; Leptospermum scoparium) is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, native to New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) and south-east Australia. Bees produce mānuka honey from its nectar. The Latin specific epithet scoparium means 'like broom', referring to Northern Hemisphere genera such as Genista and Cytisus which it resembles in both general habit and in the landscape, sharing a preference for dry and exposed sites and poor soils, although it is only distantly related. While Leptospermum scoparium currently encompasses both New Zealand and Australian populations, recent genetic work suggests that these may in fact be two distinct lineages worthy of endemic species-level recognition (see Taxonomy section).