RED MANUKA

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28671, 22 August 1958, Page 8

RED MANUKA

Conflicting Claims To “Discovery”

In connexion with the publication on this page last week of Mr Lennie’s article concerning the discovery at Belfast of the original red variety of Manuka from which the modern hybrid leptospermums have been developed, and which was ascribed to the late Mr Nicholls (whose name is perpetuated in the horticultural term given to the scarlet Manuka), the following letter has been received from Mr W. P. Spencer of Upper Ricca rton: — “In fairness to my father, the late Mr William P. Spencer, of Spencerville, and to my mother, who now lives in Christchurch. I feel that thb real facts of the discovery of the only bush should be known. z

“The bush (a scraggy bush) was known to my father many years before the reported discovery on Spencer’s run which extended from Chaneys and Spencerville to the Stewarts Gully road. Although not realising that, it was unique, he did appreciate that it was unusual and some years before my parents were married, i.e. about 1897, he showed it to my mother during one of the many jaunts around the 1000-acre run. “The ‘discovery’ dated from the time my father, in one of his normal practices of trying to outdo others in brilliance of buttonhole displays, wore, during one of his trips to town, a sprig of the original bush. As a result, Mr Nicholls, one of father’s friends, asked for a’bunch of the flowers and from this bunch, I believe that Mr Nairn, of well known fame,

propagated the plant. This took place about 1905. “The late Mr Young of the Botanic Gardens, with the co-op-eration of my father, shifted the original bush to the gardens, but unfortunately it did not survive.” Mr Lennie’s Reply j When asked to comment upon Mr Spencer’s claims, Mr Lennie replied as follows: “It is most unfortunate that these facts were not made known years ago, because they bear the stamp of reality and it may not be possible now to establish them. For once a plant has been given a name it is difficult to alter it. “From my personal knowledge of W. P. Spencer sen., I can well believe him likely to cherish such a rarity as a red manuka, and it would have been called Leptospermum Spencerii had he given the seeds to the late Robert Nairn, who grew, selected and named the resultant red seedlings after Mr Nicholls who supplied them, evidently from the Spencerville plant. He gave these points in 'a Banks Lecture to the Institute of Horticulture about

“Mr Nairn never mentioned Spencerville as the home of the red sport from’the white manuka. It was always reported as from Belfast, possibly because of the Nicholls’ associations. “I am not aware of any evidence that Mr Young propagated seedling plants from the original which was not likely to transplant successfully and should have been fenced in and protected. Perhaps members of the Nicholls family can throw some light on the matter.’ ’