Hikurangi Enterprises is working on a high-tech drone multi-spectral imaging systems and a genetics field test but here’s a short visual guide to knowing the difference between kānuka and mānuka…
| Mānuka | Kānuka | |
| Flower Colour | Pink and/or pure white with short red stamen | Creamy with long red stamen |
| Flower Blossom | Solitary | Clusters |
| Flower size | >6mm | <6mm |
| Flowering season (Tairāwhiti) | October to January | November to February |
| Seed pods | Retains pods after seed is shed | Sheds pods after seed is shed |
| Leaf | Firm, shorter with sharp pointed tips | Soft, longer with round tips |
| Leaf colour | Dull green | Bright green |
| Max. Height | 8-10m | 30m |
| Average Height | 3m | 4-8m |
| Bark | Darker reddish brown, short, papery, rather flaky, often covered in black sooty mould | Tawny brown, long, leathery brown strips |
| Wood colour | Dark red | Lighter red/brown |
| Limbs | Upright | Sprawl far and wide |
| Life span | 30-50 years | Up to 150 years |
| Botanical name | Leptospermum scoparium | Kunzea ericoides |
| Common names | Mānuka, kahikatoa, manuka myrtle, New Zealand teatree, broom tea-tree, tea tree | Kānuka, white mānuka, white tea tree |