I have a large tea tree (Leptospermum Petersonii - Lemon-scented Tea Tree) growing in my back yard and was wondering if anyone knows if it is safe ? I've been searching but I can't seem to find the information.

Its not on the list of poisonous plants...

I would probably think it is okay Tal, but best wait & see if anyone has tried it.

I have a large tea tree (Leptospermum Petersonii - Lemon-scented Tea Tree) growing in my back yard and was wondering if anyone knows if it is safe ? I've been searching but I can't seem to find the information.

 

 

Hi, my avian vet told me to grow a Lemon-scented Tea Tree for my birds. He even gave me some to take home. He said they the leaves were the right size for budgies. My two ate all the leaves and are still with me!

Well Jac has proof but I have always thought the Tea Tree as part of the eucalyptus family/group.

 

I looked it up:

 

The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here.

Thanks everyone I was pretty sure that it wasn't toxic as the local birds nest in the tree or use the smallest twigs to make nests. However Tea tree oil is apparently toxic so I thought best to double check. I did find some tips here http://solwayparrotclub.co.uk/tips.htm with one in particular on red mites using tea tree oil which seems to contradict the toxicity of tea tree oil somewhat.

 

It seems to me that a lot of contradictory information is online. It sure is nice to be able to ask people who have hands on experience and get several views.

Well I took the plunge and gave them some branches. They loved it. Chewed the leaves and the seed pods to bits so I put thicker branches in for perches. What a mess they made. I thought they enjoyed stripping the bark off of Eucalypt :ausb: I'd recommend putting a couple of branches in if you can get your hands on it. Mine sure seemed to enjoy it

Thanks Tal, for letting us know how it turned out, it's good for others to know also.

Sure thing I figure I have asked enough questions and got loads of info so it was the least I could do.