The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Appreciate some help identifying this tree please, growing in my front yard. Leaves are opposite, narrow (3-4mm), approx 6 cm long. The bottom of the leaves are brown/grey.

It "could" be an Olearia, possibly O. 'dartonii' or O.lineata but your image is not clear enough. I suggest you take an image of a sprig of foliage and show upper and lower leaf surfaces. Make sure it is in focus. Then we'll have a better idea.

My vote is for Olearia "dartonii" due to the very long narrow leaves. I think it is a cultivar based on a cross between O. lineata and an Australian species??

Hi Mike. Regarding Olearia 'dartonii' (note its a cv. so you use ' ' NOT " " - it's under the Horticultural Code), it is almost certainly O. lineata x O. traversiorum - a parentage first suggested to me by Colin Ogle. But yes I agree the image seems to be that cultivar hybrid but I would still prefer to see a higher quality image of the actual foliage to be sure.

Cheers Peter, I guess that cross makes some sort of strange sense with O. traversiorum being regularly planted, but would be interesting to know if it was a spontaneous hybrid or a deliberate cross by the horticultural industry. Thanks with the hint about the '

No worries Mike. No idea about Darton - the late David Given had an interest in him. I guess the person to ask would Murray Dawson ([email protected]) who has an interest in these matters and edits the Royal Horticultural Society Journal. S'right about cv. annotations - most people don't know about this one.

do these help?

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Thanks John, the leaf dimensions fit both O. lineata and O. 'dartonii'. O. 'dartonii' is most likely if the plant was sourced from a garden centre. O. lineata is usually only grown by botanists

Thanks. I sourced it from a F&B garden sale a few years ago. I saw some O. Lineata for sale last year at the same sale so it could be that.