tea tree

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tea′ tree′, 

1. a tall shrub or small tree, Leptospermum scoparium, of the myrtle family, native to New Zealand and Australia, having silky foliage when young, and bell-shaped, white flowers: often planted to prevent beach erosion.

• so called from the use of its leaves as an infusion 1750–60

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tea tree noun

1. any of various myrtaceous trees of the genus Leptospermum, of Australia and New Zealand, that yield an oil used as an antiseptic