ABSTRACT
In its natural habitat, the tea tree plant grows as a small 5–8 metre tree. In commercial plantations however, it is grown as an intensive row crop. It is planted at high densities to maximise leaf and oil production per hectare and is harvested every six to eighteen months by cutting the whole plant close to ground level. Plantations are currently established using wild seed, with some screening for chemotype, but there is considerable plant to plant variation. The variation will be less with the new varieties under development as discussed in Chapter 7.
