I arrived early to Sunday services at church and photographed this beautiful plant
in the parking lot island blooming.
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| Little John Bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus viminalis cultivar) |
The Bottlebrush
Unless you're from the Australia, New Caledonia or Philippines, you are probably unaware of the marvelous healthsource growing greater Phoenix. The bottlebrush tree or shrub (Callistemon citrinus viminalis), also sometimes called the Ringworm bush in its native habitat, is a hardwood tree that bears much more than a pretty bright red floral display to the environment.
The leaves contain oils which are useful for their antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties. The chemicals cineole and pinene are known for their insect-repelling qualities as well as antibacterial. Menthyl acetate, an essential oil, is also found in the plant and is responsible for its fragrance. These are the primary ingredients found in this tree's foliage. In a process known as quorum sensing, bacteria are able to somehow communicate with each other on an intercellular basis. The chemical components found in the bottlebrush leaves have an ability to disrupt this procedure. (Bacteria disruption study Bacteria disruption study.) In Jamaica it has been used for generations for a hot drink call “tea” used for the treatment of gastro-enteritis, diarrhea and skin infections.
In a 2010 report (Am. J. Applied Sci. 7 (1) 13-16) leaves of C. citrinus were shade dried for 48 hours and crushed into a powder using a blender. Six grams of powder were used in 10 ml of ethanol distilled water to make an ethanol extract and 10 mls of of methanol distilled water for a methanolic extraction. They were then centrifuged (3,000 rpms) for 15 minutes and clear liquid harvested. This was done three times then the alcohol evaporated by incubating at room temperature. This oil had antibacterial and antifungal activity.
Veterinary research has discovered that the bottlebrush's leaves for combating intestinal parasites in animals. By rubbing crushed leaves on your skin, insects have been effectively repelled from these oils. Many studies have been performed on the effects of the bottlebrush tree's oils. In Florida is has been observed that you won't find insects other than bees around the bottlebrush.
The leaves can also be made into a tea and for flavor similar to a bay leaf. Some use the flowers to make a sweet tea and as a dye. The aborigines use it as a sweetener.
