[SOLVED] on small tree Native? Herb?

[Noramay]

Hi all,,

I recently dug this up from near our driveway where it has been struggling along for years it has been run over a few time and generally wasn't doing well at all.
Anyway I dug it up about 2 weeks ago, there wasn't much roots and I just wacked it in this pot with some fresh potting mix and gave it a water of seasol, needless to say it seems to be loving it..
All the green growth is new and is very soft not spikey at all, the bark is very similar to paperbark trees.
Any guess or ideas appreciated
cheers Nora

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Solved
By Nancy - Santolina rosmarinfolia

[Joel]

Crush the foliage. Does it have an odor?

Joel

[Noramay]

OK Joel,

just went out and removed a bit, squished it and it smells, but I'm not sure of what...
musty, hint of tea tree maybe..

nora

[Joel]

Try looking up Coleonema pulchrum.

Joel

[Noramay]

Hi Joel,

I looked it up and then took the tree for a walk around the gardens and I never realised how many CP I had.
Th smell is near but not the same and the leaves are not quite rite. the one I dug up has longer and softer leaves in groups rather then long stems with tiny leaves, may be related but I'm not convinced.

Nora

[Joel]

Have you ever seen flowers on it?

[Noramay]

Joel,

this is the first new growth I've seen on it since we moved here, nearly 4 years. so no flowers but doesn't meen it won't flower, I may just have to leave it a while, obviously it likes what I'm doing, and when its put on some more growth and has some aged growth and maybe a flower or something else to help ID it, I'll post more pics - thanks for trying to help.
I spent an hour or more yesterday wondering around the garden comparing it to different trees, shrubs and herbs hoping to find something similar to help, but couldn't find anything even similar in leaf structure or smell.

cheers Nora

[Joel]

The leaf position makes me think it could be a species of Micromyrtus.

[Noramay]

Hi guys, this tree got the better of me and I took it in to see Nancy at the local nursery to see if she could shed some light on its identity.
Going through her great collection of books we were able to id it at last...
It belongs in the Asteraceae family and is a santolina or a form of 'cotton lavender' though not a lavender at all
either santolina rosmarinfolia or santolina chamaeayparissus
and one good tip I got from Nancys book was to be careful with liquid fetiliser as will make the growth become soft which I have discovered and had lost a branch which just kinda fell off it was that soft.
Hope this makes sense to you Joel?
cheers and thanks for trying to id my plant

[Joel]

Hi Noramay,

The only Santolina i was familiar with was S. chamaeciparissus which i ignored because it has blue foliage, not the green pictured. After looking up S. rosmarinifolia i am happy with that I.D. Finally!

Joel