MANUKA & KANUKA Latin - Leptospermum scoparium & Kunzea ericoides

I tend to think this is because, at a distance, manuka and kanuka do appear very similar. However, a close look will reveal quite marked physical differences not to mention the fact that they are not even in the same plant ‘genus’. Manuka is also found in parts of Australia (locally known as ‘jelly bush’) whereas kanuka is an endemic species, not found anywhere else in the world.

The main difference between these two is the height to which they grow – kanuka can attain heights of 20 to 30 metres while manuka reaches 8 to 10 metres at best. Back in the day, when my good mate Aaron and I were young and single, we used to tongue-in-cheek joke to each other about the necessary characteristics and knowledge girls needed to be considered as a potential girl friend. It goes without saying that they had to be attractive (to us at least), have a sense of humour, be kind and generous, intelligent, humble …. you know, all the usual endearing personal traits. But on top of all those distinguishing traits they also needed to be into sports of some kind, not afraid to get their hands dirty, and probably most importantly, have a deep rooted passion and love for the outdoors. We figured that this last requirement could be identified with the correct answer of three basic, standard questions:

1. Which is the true right and true left