Manuka Comes From Australia
Most folks familiar with Manuka honey think it comes only from New Zealand. This is completely inaccurate.
This impression is due mainly to the very strong marketing effort by the honey folks in New Zealand. They have done a great job in educating consumers about Manuka honey and its health benefits and we respect their effort and we send them our thanks.
The plant that the bees use to make Manuka honey grows in Australia as well as New Zealand and on this page we will present information that will confirm our assertion.
The Australian Government has made a number of studies. Here is some of the text of one important study followed by a link to the whole document.
Leptospermum scoparium (Manuka or Tea tree or just Leptospermum) is a shrub or small tree
native to New Zealand and southeast Australia. It is found throughout New Zealand but is
particularly common on the drier east coasts of the North Island and the South Island, and in
Australia in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales. Manuka (from Maori ‘manuka’) is the name
used in New Zealand, and ‘tea tree’ is a common name in Australia and to a lesser extent also in
New Zealand. This name arose because Captain Cook used the leaves to make a ‘tea’ drink. The
common name “Tea Tree” is also shared with the related Melaleuca tree of Australia suggesting that
both were used to make tea by Captain Cook.
Manuka honey, produced when honeybees gather the nectar from its flowers, is distinctively
flavoured, darker and richer in taste than clover honey and has antibacterial and antifungal
properties. The finest quality Manuka honey with the most potent antimicrobial properties is
produced from hives placed in wild, uncultivated areas with abundant growth of Manuka bushes.
The full text of the summary above can be seen in the link: MFA-01-Australian-Teatrees
Other references
Confirmation of Forestry Tasmania license for Blue Hills to collect Manuka Honey in Tasmania
MFA-09-ForestTas-2014
Confirmation by Tasmanian Herbarium of Manuka in Tasmania
MFA-10-TH-TMAG-2014
Confirmation by Minister of Economic Development of Manuka in Tasmania
MFA-11-MED-2014
Confirmation by University Of Tasmania of Manuka in Tasmania
MFA-12-UTAS-2014
Australian Government report on Floral Resources in Tasmania – Manuka and Leatherwood
MFA-13-RIRDC Report-TTrees-2014
Confirmation by Novost of Manuka in Tasmania and the Novost testing of Tasmanian Manuka
MFA-14-Novohost-2014
Other Links
MFA-08-Leptospermum-Dist in Tasmania
MFA-04-Leptospernum-Occurrence-Map
MFA-05-Leptospermum-Tea-Tree
MFA-02-Leptospermum-Aus-Plant1
MFA-03-Leptospermum-Aus-Plant2
MFA-07-Leptospernum-Chart
MFA-06-Leptospermum-In Aust
http://www.anbg.gov.au/leptospermum/
Wikipedia says simply:
Leptospermum scoparium, commonly called manuka, manuka myrtle, New Zealand teatree, broom teatree, or just tea tree, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, native to New Zealand and southeast Australia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptospermum_scoparium
Tasmania is definitely in Southeast Australia.
Conclusion:
Contrary to the assumptions and implications in many stories in the media and on the Internet, the Manuka plant grows very well in Australia, particularly well in Tasmania and the honey produced in Tasmania is true Manuka honey with all of its benefits.
Visit our: Honey Library
More links will be added. Please visit again.