Backhousia

Backhousia is a small genus of five species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae, native to the rainforests of eastern Australia. They are aromatic shrubs or trees growing to 5-25 m tall, with evergreen leaves 3-12 cm long and 1-6 cm broad, arranged opposite on the shoots.

Species
Backhousia citriodora (common names lemon myrtle, lemon scented myrtle, lemon scented ironwood) is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, genus Backhousia, native to subtropical rainforests of eastern Australia. Other common names are sweet verbena tree, sweet verbena myrtle, lemon scented verbena, and lemon scented backhousia.
It can reach 20 m in height, but is often smaller. The leaves are evergreen, opposite, lanceolate, 5-12 cm long and 1.5-2.5 cm broad, glossy green, with an entire margin. The flowers are creamy-white, 5-7 mm diameter, produced in clusters at the ends of the branches from summer through to autumn, after petal fall the calyx is persistent.
Lemon myrtle was given the botanical name Backhousia citriodora in 1853 after the English botanist, James Backhouse. The common name reflects the strong lemon smell of the crushed leaves.
Lemon myrtle is sometimes confused with "lemon ironbark", which is Eucalyptus staigeriana.
Uses: Indigenous Australians have long used lemon myrtle, both in cuisine and as a healing plant. The oil has the highest citral purity; typically higher than lemongrass. It is also considered to have a "cleaner and sweeter" aroma than comparable sources of citral - lemongrass and Litsea cubeba. The leaves of the plant are used in cooking, forming one of the more well-known bushfood flavours. It has an extensive range of uses, such as lemon flavouring in pasta, with fish, infused in macadamia or vegetable oils, and made into tea. It can also be used as a lemon replacement in milk-based foods, such as cheescake, lemon flavoured ice-cream and sorbet that would normally curdle due to lemon's citric acid. The taste/smell is similar to lemon (hence the name), verbena and lemongrass but not at all acidic. During former US President Bill Clinton's visit to Australia in 1996, lemon myrtle tart was the dessert item at the formal reception hosted by the Australian Government.

Cinnamon myrtle, is a spice form of Backhousia myrtifolia. This small rainforest tree species grows in subtropical rainforests of Eastern Australia. B. myrtifolia is also known as carrol, carrol ironwood, neverbreak, ironwood or grey myrtle.
Backhousia myrtifolia can grow up to 30 metres, but is more often a shrub or small tree. The leaves are ovate or elliptic, 4-7 cm long, with a cinnamon-like odour. Flowers are star-shaped and borne in panicles. The small papery fruit are bell-shaped.
The name 'cinnamon myrtle' was originally coined in the late 1980s to identify the elemicin essential oil variant as being especially suitable for flavouring. However, the name 'cinnamon myrtle' is now used to describe the species in general.
Cinnamon myrtle is part of a group of related Myrtaceae family members that were popularized as spices in Australian bushfood cuisine in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This group of plants also includes lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) and aniseed myrtle (Syzygium anisatum).

Backhousia angustifolia

Backhousia hughesii

Backhousia sciadophora

Backhousia sciadophora

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