Erica arborea
Kānuka was first formally described in 1832 by the French botanist Achille Richard who gave it the name "Leptospermum ericoides" from a specimen he collected in New Zealand. The description was published in "Voyage de découvertes de l'Astrolabe - Botanique". In 1983, Joy Thompson changed the name to "Kunzea ericoides", describing the differences between "Leptospermum" and "Kunzea" in "Telopea". The specific epithet ("ericoides") refers to the similarity of the habit of this species to that of "Erica arborea". The suffix "-oides" is a Latin ending meaning "likeness".