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The leaves of this plant are a fresh green color and strongly lemon-scented. The young foliage is reddish and the young shoots and undersides of the leaves are often hairy. The very attractive white flowers are numerous and produced in long-stalked clusters.

Lemon Myrtle is a popular cultivated ornamental plant. It can be grown from tropical to warm temperate climates, and may handle cool weather provided it can be protected from frost when young; tolerates all but the poorest drained soils. It is a slow growing plant and in cultivation rarely exceeds 10-15 ft and has a dense canopy. It is a stunning ornamental in the garden or container plant, and yet its leaves provide a great source of lemon flavor for cooking that special sweet or savory dish.

The plant was named in 1853 after James Backhouse (1794-1869), an English nurseryman and keen botany collector, a missionary who visited Australia in 1830's. In 1889 the potential use of Lemon Myrtle for commercial production was reported and the species was analyzed for chemical properties.

Lemon Myrtle is reputed to have the strongest citral fragrance and taste, and is the highest natural source of citral.