They both get called Tea Tree so is there a difference between these two very common New Zealand native trees? The answer is yes.  The Latin name for Manuka is Leptospermum scoparium, and for Kanuka, Kunzea ericoides. 

But they don’t grow in the wild with Latin labels attached, so how to tell the difference? Growing in boggy ground it, will be Manuka because Kanuka does not like wet feet, but both will tolerate dry sites. Eventually Kanuka will grow taller than Manuka by several metres but who can wait that long to identify a plant? Some people say they can tell the difference by the feel of the leaves, Manuka being more prickly than Kanuka, but I think that this depends partly on the age of the spray that you draw through your hand.

So far not very helpful, but Christmas is the very best time of year to actually see the difference, when both are covered in white flowers. The flowers of Manuka are single, while those of Kanuka are smaller and occur in little clusters.  Looking closer you can also see that the stamens of the Kanuka flower are much more prominent than those of the Manuka.

So yes, they are different, but at Christmas they have one thing in common; a branch of either one will make a very nice miniature Christmas tree decorated with little red paper bells and stars, Scandinavian style. It won’t last as long as a pine tree so be prepared to replace it after a few days.