Botanical atlas

White Kunzea (Tick Bush)

Kunzea ambigua

Long before it had a Latin name, kunzea was the shrub that bush travelers in southeastern Australia and Tasmania reached for when the ground itself seemed to bite back. Its foliage was cut and scattered across sleeping areas and packed into hut floors, since ticks and fleas were noticed to steer clear of it, which is how the plant earned its enduring nickname, tick bush. Aboriginal Australians and early settlers alike valued the crushed, oil-rich leaves for their sharp, camphor-like fragrance, inhaling them for head colds and applying them to sore, overworked bodies. Today the essential oil distilled from its foliage carries that same tradition forward, prized as a gentler cousin to tea tree oil for the skin.

Safety.

Kunzea essential oil is for external use only and should never be ingested; dilute it before applying to skin and patch test first. Use extra caution around infants, young children, and during pregnancy.