Melaleuca alsophila

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Saltwater paperbark
Melaleuca alsophila.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. alsophila
Binomial name
Melaleuca alsophila
Synonyms [1]
  • Melaleuca acacioides subsp. alsophila(A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Barlow
  • Myrtoleucodendron alsophilum(A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Kuntze

Melaleuca alsophila, commonly known as the saltwater paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the north of Western Australia. It is a dense shrub or small tree with fibrous or papery bark and is common in areas seasonally inundated during the wet season.

Contents

Description

Melaleuca alsophila is a dense shrub or tree to 15 m (50 ft) and is often multistemmed. There is considerable variation in its leaf size, even on one individual plant but they are commonly 10–50 mm (0.4–2 in) long (sometimes up to 90 mm (4 in)), flat, 5 to 7-veined and spirally arranged on the stem. They are typically oval to tear-drop shaped, tapering near the stem. [2] [3]

The flowers are cream to white, in small dense heads. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flowers and in this species there are 9 to 16 stamens per bundle. Flowering occurs in the dry season, from March to October and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules about 2 mm × 2 mm (0.08 in × 0.08 in), cup or barrel-shaped, occurring singly or in small clusters. [2] [3]

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca alsophila was first informally described by Allan Cunningham from a specimen collected on the north west coast of Australia during a voyage of HMS Beagle. The description was formally applied in 1866 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis. [4] [5] The specific epithet (alsophila) is from the Greek alsos, meaning "grove" and philos "loving", referring to the habitat of the species. [6]

Distribution and habitat

Saltwater paperbark is found on sandy, often saline soils along watercourses, in swamps, on floodplains, coastal flats, and various saline habitats. It occurs in the Central Kimberley, Dampierland, Northern Kimberley, Victoria Bonaparte, Great Sandy Desert and Pilbara biogeographic regions of Western Australia. [7] [8]

Indigenous uses

Aboriginal people in the Kimberley region knew the plant to be a favourite resting place for pigeons and they used its trunk to build shelters. Native, stingless bees often make their hives in the trunk and branches. The bark can be used as a mosquito repellant and an infusion of its leaves is used to relieve the symptoms of a cold. [9]

Conservation status

Melaleuca alsophila is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Melaleuca rhaphiophylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Melaleuca rhaphiophylla, commonly known as swamp paperbark is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south west of Western Australia. It has narrow, needle-like leaves and profuse spikes of white or yellowish flowers at variable times throughout the year. As its common name suggests, it is usually found in salt marshes, or swamps or along watercourses and occurs over wide areas of the south-west.

<i>Melaleuca lanceolata</i> Species of plant

Melaleuca lanceolata commonly known as black paperbark, moonah, Rottnest Island teatree and western black tea tree is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to Australia where it occurs in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. It is a densely foliaged tree with rough bark, which flowers prolifically in summer.

<i>Melaleuca cuticularis</i> Species of tree

Melaleuca cuticularis, commonly known as the saltwater paperbark is a tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to the south-west of Western Australia. There is also a disjunct population on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It is distinguished from other melaleucas by its unusual fruits and very white, papery bark.

<i>Melaleuca ericifolia</i> Species of tree

Melaleuca ericifolia, commonly known as swamp paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and the genus Melaleuca, native to south-eastern Australia. It is a rather variable species and some specimens resemble Melaleuca armillaris but its papery bark and smaller, more prolific flower heads distinguish it from that species. It often grows in swampy areas and the draining and clearing of these has reduced the numbers of the species, especially around Port Philip Bay near Melbourne. It is also similar to Melaleuca pustulata, a Tasmanian endemic, but that species only grows in dry heath.

<i>Calothamnus chrysanthereus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus chrysanthereus , commonly known as claw flower is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with needle-shaped leaves crowded on the ends of the branches and bright red flowers in spring.

<i>Melaleuca acacioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Melaleuca acacioides, commonly known as coastal paperbark and as lunyamad by the Bardi people, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to the northern parts of the Northern Territory, Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea. It is closely related to Melaleuca alsophila and Melaleuca citrolens, being differentiated from them by the number of flowers in a group. In this species, they are in groups of three. It is a small to medium-sized tree, sometimes with several trunks when growing in the open. It usually grows in areas with saline soils that are regularly flooded, often near mangroves.

<i>Melaleuca glomerata</i> Species of flowering plant

Melaleuca glomerata, commonly known as the desert honey-myrtle, inland paperbark or white tea-tree is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae native to inland Australia. It is a small tree or shrub growing in arid areas, often in creek beds and shallow depressions.

<i>Melaleuca nervosa</i> Species of shrub

Melaleuca nervosa, commonly known as fibrebark, is a shrub or tree in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is a narrow-leaved, tropical paperbark with yellow-green and red-flowering forms. As with some other melaleucas, this species has many uses to Indigenous Australians.

<i>Melaleuca urceolaris</i> Species of shrub

Melaleuca urceolaris is a low, spreading shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. Although it is rare in cultivation, it is an attractive garden plant due to its soft foliage and white flowers which fade to pink or red. It is similar to Melaleuca scabra with which it has often been confused.

<i>Melaleuca undulata</i> Shrub in the myrtle family endemic to the south of Western Australia

Melaleuca undulata, commonly known as hidden honey-myrtle is a shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a spreading, moderately dense, perennial, woody shrub with creamy-white flowers in small clusters.

<i>Melaleuca leiopyxis</i> Species of shrub

Melaleuca leiopyxis is a shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to an area near the west coast of Western Australia. It has bright yellow flowers and is very similar to Melaleuca depressa. The ranges of the two species overlap making it difficult to distinguish between them.

Melaleuca basicephala is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a rarely-seen shrub from the dense freshwater swamps of the wet far south-west corner of the state.

<i>Melaleuca foliolosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Melaleuca foliolosa is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to northern Queensland in Australia. It is distinguished by it very small leaves which are pressed against the stem and almost overlap each other.

<i>Melaleuca acutifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Melaleuca acutifolia is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has small, pointed, oval leaves and in summer, heads of white flowers. The species was originally described as a variety of Melaleuca lateriflora but was raised to species status in 2010.

<i>Melaleuca lateriflora</i> Species of flowering plant

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Melaleuca oldfieldii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is native to the south-west of Western Australia. It is distinguished by its bright yellow flower heads but its distribution is restricted to one national park.

Melaleuca polycephala is a shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a sparsely foliaged, twiggy shrub with deep purple flowers in spring.

<i>Calothamnus gibbosus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus gibbosus, commonly known as corky net-bush, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. Its distinguishing characteristic is its corky bark in which the hypanthium of the flowers and much of the fruits is buried. Only the petals and stamens emerge from the bark.

<i>Calothamnus pachystachyus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calothamnus pachystachyus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, much-branched shrub with thick bark, flat leaves and clusters of red flowers in spring.

<i>Beaufortia empetrifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Beaufortia empetrifolia, commonly known as south coast beaufortia, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a highly branched shrub with small, crowded leaves and pinkish to purple flowers in small, bottlebrush-like spikes in the warmer months. It is similar to Beaufortia micrantha except that its leaves are slightly larger.

References

  1. 1 2 "Melaleuca alsophila". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 14–15. ISBN   1876334983.
  3. 1 2 Brophy, Joseph J.; Craven, Lyndley A.; Doran, John C. (2013). Melaleucas : their botany, essential oils and uses. Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. p. 72. ISBN   9781922137517.
  4. "Melaleuca alsophila". APNI. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  5. Bentham, George (1866). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 3. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  6. Quattrocchi, Umberto (1999). CRC world dictionary of plant names : common names, scientific names, eponyms, synonyms, and etymology. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 103. ISBN   0849326737 . Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  7. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 391. ISBN   0646402439.
  8. 1 2 "Melaleuca alsophila Benth". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  9. "Melaleuca alsophila". Society for Kimberley Indigenous Plants and Animal. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2015.