Melaleuca citrolens

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Gulbarn
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. citrolens
Binomial name
Melaleuca citrolens

Melaleuca citrolens, commonly known as gulbarn, [1] is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to northern Queensland and the north-eastern part of the Northern Territory. Plants in this species were originally included in Melaleuca acacioides until a review of the genus in 1986. [2]

Contents

Description

Melaleuca citrolens is a tree growing up to 10 m (30 ft) tall with grey or white papery bark. Its leaves are arranged alternately, 24–90 mm (0.9–4 in) long, 2.5–9 mm (0.1–0.4 in) wide and linear to narrow oval in shape. [3] [4]

The flowers are white to cream coloured, in heads up to 14–16 mm (0.55–0.63 in) in diameter with the heads containing one to 15 individual flowers. The petals are 1–1.5 mm (0.04–0.06 in) long and fall of as the flower opens. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower, each bundle containing 7 to 11 stamens. Flowers appear from December to February and from April to June. The fruit which follow are woody capsules 1.5–2.3 mm (0.06–0.09 in) long. [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca citrolens was first formally described in 1986 by Bryan Barlow in Brunonia as a new species. [5] The specific epithet (citrolens) refers to the Rutaceae genus Citrus (which includes the orange and lemon) and to the Latin word olens meaning "smelling" or "odorous", apparently referring to the aromatic foliage. [4]

Distribution and habitat

This melaleuca is found in the north-eastern part of the Northern Territory and the northern part of Queensland including the Cape York Peninsula [4] and occurs in melaleuca heath in association with species such as Melaleuca stenostachya , Thryptomene oligandra and Melaleuca arcana . [6]

Related Research Articles

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

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

Melaleuca dissitiflora, commonly known as creek tea–tree, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to Australia. It occurs in the drier parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. It grows in places like sandy creek beds and rocky gorges but it may have potential as a more productive source of "tea tree" oil than the usual Melaleuca alternifolia. It is closely related and very similar to Melaleuca linophylla with its papery bark, narrow leaves and loose spikes of creamy-white flowers but its flowers are larger, the stamens are longer and there are more stamens per bundle than in that species.

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

Melaleuca monantha is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to an area in Queensland, Australia. It is a shrub, similar to Melaleuca minutifolia with very small leaves but the leaves lack oil glands and its flowers occur singly, rather than in pairs. It is also similar to Melaleuca sylvana but is usually multi-stemmed and has a more dense crown than that species.

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

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

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<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 thymifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Melaleuca thymifolia, commonly known as thyme honey-myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is native to eastern Australia. It is often noticed in spring, with its attractive, purple flowers and is one of the most commonly cultivated melaleucas. A fragrant shrub, it usually grows to about 1.0 m (3 ft) tall, has corky bark and slender, wiry stems.

Melaleuca clarksonii, commonly known as Alice River bottlebrush, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. It is similar to Melaleuca cajuputi and Melaleuca leucadendra with its broad leaves and spikes of creamy-coloured flowers but is distinguished from them by its (usually) hard, fibrous bark.

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

Melaleuca cajuputi, commonly known as cajuput or white samet is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is widespread in Australia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and the Torres Strait islands. It is a medium to tall tree with papery bark, silvery new growth and white or greenish flower spikes. It has important uses as a source of cajuput oil.

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

Melaleuca fluviatilis is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to northern Queensland in Australia. It is a tree with papery bark, narrow leaves and spikes of white or creamy-coloured flowers, usually growing along streams and rivers. It is common in tropical areas and is sometimes confused with Melaleuca argentea although it lacks that species' silvery foliage.

Melaleuca kunzeoides is a shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to central Queensland in Australia. It is a rare shrub with a very limited distribution and is classified as 'vulnerable' by the Australian government..

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

Melaleuca pomphostoma is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, dense shrub with fleshy, narrow leaves, greenish-yellow flowers. It is similar and closely related to Melaleuca bracteosa but differs in the colour and number of stamens in each flower.

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

Melaleuca punicea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the Northern Territory in Australia. Some of the characteristics of this species make it difficult to classify at the genus level. After it was originally described in 1984 as Melaleuca punicea, it was transferred in 1986 to the genus Regelia but it did not fit well in that genus either. In 1999 it was transferred again to a new genus Petraeomyrtus as P. punicea. Subsequent molecular studies, especially of chloroplast DNA have suggested that it is best placed in Melaleuca along with others from genera including Beaufortia, Callistemon and Regelia. Later publications include this species as Melaleuca punicea.

Melaleuca sericea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the north of Western Australia and the north-west of the Northern Territory. It is a paperbark similar to Melaleuca dealbata but its leaves are covered with silky hairs, the flowers are whitish by comparison and it does not grow as tall as that species.

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

Melaleuca stenostachya, commonly known as fibre-barked teatree or straight teatree is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is native to the Cape York Peninsula in northern Australia, the gulf country of the Northern Territory and the south of Papua New Guinea. It is closely related to Melaleuca dealbata but can be distinguished from that species by the wide separation of the flowers in the inflorescence.

References

  1. Stephanie Zillman (20 December 2015), Traditional bush medicine finds new life as Gulbarn tea
  2. B. A. Barlow (1986), "Contributions to a revisin (sic) of Melaleuca (Myrtaceae): 1-3", Brunonia, 9 (2): 163–177, doi:10.1071/bru9860163
  3. 1 2 Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. p. 14. ISBN   1876334983.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Brophy, Joseph J.; Craven, Lyndley A.; Doran, John C. (2013). Melaleucas : their botany, essential oils and uses (PDF). Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. p. 120. ISBN   9781922137517 . Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  5. "Melaleuca citrolens". APNI. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  6. "Melaleuca communities" (PDF). Government of Queensland department of national parks, sport and racing. Retrieved 22 March 2015.