Exotic plant: mānuka
The mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium), also called the New Zealand tea tree in English because its leaves can be used to make tea, is an evergreen perennial shrub belonging to the family Myrtaceae (the same family as eucalyptus and myrtle). It has irregularly branched shoots, and its leaves are small, variably shaped, and aromatic. During flowering, mānuka produces five-petaled flowers that may be white, pink, or red, followed by fruits in the form of round, woody capsules that persist on the plant for many months.
This shrub grows very rapidly and can reach a height of up to 5 meters. It tolerates intense heat as well as cold down to –7 °C, but only for short periods and provided that it is protected with fleece or straw and placed in a sheltered location.
Originally from New Zealand, where it grows naturally on both the North and South Islands, it is also found in certain regions of Australia. Only in these areas are the ideal conditions for it to thrive fully; in some regions it is even considered invasive, as it produces numerous seeds that are very light and easily dispersed. When exported to other continents, it grows readily only in the southern regions of the United States and in Hawaii; in Italy, where it is cultivated under greenhouse conditions in Sicily and along the southern coasts, there is hope for a wider diffusion. Elsewhere, it can be accommodated in patios or sheltered locations.
Mānuka is a highly melliferous plant that attracts bees and other pollinating insects. The honey derived from it, produced exclusively in New Zealand, has a reputation for being almost magical: the presence of a particular compound, methylglyoxal, confers antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. While all honeys contain a certain amount of this substance, mānuka honey may contain proportions up to one hundred times higher. However, a high concentration of methylglyoxal inhibits the antimicrobial activity of other substances present in honey and may trigger metabolic disturbances in the human body, thereby reducing the overall value of mānuka honey. Ultimately, is it truly so miraculous as to justify its exorbitant price (up to CHF 625 per kilogram)?
In addition, Serge, a knowledgeable connoisseur of New Zealand, which he has travelled extensively, and of its local honeys, which he has tasted, уточifies: “The price depends on the percentage of mānuka (UMF). For 250 g, it ranges from CHF 30 (10+ UMF) to CHF 1000 (1000+ UMF).”
Sources
naturale.bio
SAR Review, November–December 2022
sabinocanyon.com
Joseph Hemmerlé, Honey, 2022