Melaleuca deanei

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Deane's paperbark
Melaleuca deanei foliage.jpg
Melaleuca deanei foliage
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. deanei
Binomial name
Melaleuca deanei

Melaleuca deanei, commonly known as Deane's paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales in Australia. It is a shrub with flaky bark, narrow oval leaves and spikes of white flowers in spring and summer. The species only exists in a few isolated populations and is classified as vulnerable.

Contents

Description

Melaleuca deanei is a shrub with grey, fibrous flaky bark. It grows to a height of 3 m (10 ft) and its new growth is furry and white, becoming glabrous with age. The leaves are arranged alternately on the stem, 10–31 mm (0.4–1 in) long and 3–9 mm (0.1–0.4 in) wide, narrow oval shaped with a pointed end and a stalk up to 2.5 mm (0.1 in) long. The leaves have many distinct oil glands.

The flowers are white and arranged in spikes at the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. Each spike contains 3 to 25 individual flowers and is up to 60 mm (2 in) long and 40 mm (2 in) in diameter on a furry stem. The petals are 4–6.5 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long and fall off as the flower opens. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower and each bundle contains 17 to 28 stamens. Flowering occurs from July to November and is followed by fruit which are scattered, woody, barrel-shaped capsules, each about 7–9 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long and 7 mm (0.3 in) in diameter. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca deanei was first formally described in 1886 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales from a specimen collected by Henry Deane "on the northern side of the Lane Cove River, occupying sandy ground on the ridges". [5] [6] The specific epithet (deanei) is "in honour of Henry Deane (1847–1924), a railways engineer who also made many contributions to Australian botany, especially in the fields of eucalyptology and palaeobotany and who collected the type material of this species". [2]

Distribution and habitat

Melaleuca deanei occurs in isolated populations, the two main ones being the Ku-ring-gai-Berowra and Holsworthy-Wedderburn districts. There are other smaller populations in the Springwood, Wollemi, Yalwal and Hawkesbury River districts. It mainly occurs in woodland on higher ground over sandstone and only occasionally in heath. [2] [3]

Ecology

It is difficult to count the number of individual plants of M. deanei because they tend to reproduce by suckering, clones are therefore common and observations of seedlings are rare. It is estimated that there between 1,000 and 3,000 individuals in approximately 75 locations. [7] A study of the reproductive capacity of this species has been compared with that of the more common species Melaleuca nodosa , Melaleuca thymifolia and Melaleuca styphelioides . It found that M. deanei has a lower rate of seed production than the more common species because of lower rates of flowering rather than poorer pollination rate or rate of seed setting after pollination. [8]

Conservation status

Deane's melaleuca is a threatened species under the New South Wales Government Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995) [9] [10] and the Australian Government Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999). [3] Whilst some of the populations are in national parks or reserves, the threats include habitat disturbance, clearing, altered fire regimes, trail maintenance and weed encroachment. [7] Some of the threat abatement measures include protecting sites from physical disturbance, undertaking regular monitoring and weeding of known sites. [3]

Related Research Articles

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

Melaleuca linariifolia is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is commonly known as snow-in-summer, narrow-leaved paperbark, flax-leaved paperbark and in the language of the Gadigal people as budjur. A hardy plant, it flowers prolifically in late spring or summer, making it a popular garden shrub or small tree in temperate places. Melaleuca trichostachya is a similar species but its leaves are arranged differently and the fruits have projecting valves.

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

Melaleuca styphelioides, known as the prickly-leaved paperbark or prickly paperbark, is a plant native to eastern Australia. It is a tree with spongy bark, prickly leaves and spikes of creamy-white flowers.

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

Melaleuca leucadendra, commonly known as weeping paperbark, long-leaved paperbark or white paperbark is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is widespread in northern Australia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and the Torres Strait Islands. It is a tree, sometimes growing to more than 20 m (70 ft) with a trunk covered with thick, white, papery bark and weeping thinner branches. It has a long flowering season, can flower at almost any time of the year and is often grown as a tree in parks and on roadsides. It was the first melaleuca to be described and was described from a specimen growing in Indonesia.

<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 trichostachya</i> Species of plant

Melaleuca trichostachya is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to inland northern New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory in Australia. It is a small tree, similar to the commonly cultivated Melaleuca styphelioides, with its prickly foliage and fluffy spikes of white or cream flowers but there are differences in the leaf arrangement and fruiting capsules.

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

Melaleuca linearifolia, commonly known as netted bottlebrush, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales in Australia.. It is a shrub with narrow, pointed leaves and red flower spikes in spring or summer.

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

Melaleuca subulata is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to south eastern Australia.. It is a small, spreading shrub with hard bark, dense foliage, cylindrical leaves and spikes of dark crimson flowers in summer.

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

Melaleuca osullivanii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It was first formally described in 2004 after a review of the broombush group, Melaleuca uncinata. It differs from others in the group by having leaves that are fine and circular in cross section. The closest other broombrush is Melaleuca hamata whose leaves are 0.8–1.6 mm (0.03–0.06 in) in diameter compared to 0.7–0.9 mm (0.03–0.04 in) for this species.

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

Melaleuca squamophloia is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the black soil plains of south eastern Queensland in Australia. Like its close relative Melaleuca styphelioides, it is a small, erect tree with prickly leaves and spikes of cream or white flowers but its bark is hard rather than papery and the leaves have fewer veins than that species.

<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.

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

Melaleuca nodosa, commonly known as the prickly-leaved paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with narrow, sometimes needle-like leaves and profuse heads of yellow flowers as early as April or as late as January.

<i>Goodenia paniculata</i> Species of flowering plant

Goodenia paniculata, commonly known as branched goodenia, is a small plant found in eastern Australia. It is usually found in swampy or moist situations, often on sand by the coast. It may also be seen on the ranges in places such as the Blue Mountains. The specific epithet paniculata refers to flower panicles. However, the flowers form on racemes not panicles.

Melaleuca pustulata, commonly known as yellow paperbark, warty paperbark or Cranbrook paperbark is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Tasmania in Australia. It is an uncommon shrub, one of only two melaleucas that are endemic to that state and one of only eight found naturally occurring there. It has thick, pimply leaves, hairy new growth and large numbers of heads of pale yellow, fragrant flowers in spring or early summer.

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

Melaleuca diosmatifolia, commonly known as rosy paperbark and pink honey-myrtle is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. It was formerly known as Melaleuca erubescens but is not closely related to Melaleuca diosmifolia although the species name has the same meaning. It has pointed, non-prickly leaves and cylindrical spikes of pink or purple flowers.

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

Melaleuca groveana, commonly known as Grove's paperbark is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia. It is an uncommon species with relatively large heads of white flowers in spring, the styles of which are significantly longer than the stamens.

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

Melaleuca incana, commonly known as grey honey-myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia and is naturalised in the south of Victoria in Australia. It is commonly grown as a garden plant and produces large numbers of white or creamy yellow flowers, sometimes highly scented, in spring.

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

Melaleuca irbyana, commonly known as weeping paperbark, bushhouse paperbark and swamp paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia. It is a shrub or small tree, often growing in pure stands in poorly drained areas. Its distribution is limited and it has been classified as an endangered species under legislation in both states and the forest as critically endangered under Australian government legislation.

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

Melaleuca tamariscina, commonly known as bush-house paperbark or tamarix honey-myrtle is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to central Queensland in Australia. It grows to the height of a small tree with small, scale-like leaves that are pressed against the branches, and has a papery bark and a weeping habit.

<i>Leptospermum deanei</i> Australian species of plant

Leptospermum deanei, commonly known as Deane's tea-tree, is a species of rare, slender shrub that is endemic to the northern suburbs of Sydney. It has bark peeling in long strips from the older stems, hairy young stems, narrow elliptical to lance-shaped leaves, white flowers arranged singly on short side shoots and mostly glabrous fruit.

References

  1. Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. p. 256. ISBN   1876334983.
  2. 1 2 3 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. 139. ISBN   9781922137517.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Deane's paperbark - profile". New South Wales Government; Office of Heritage and Environment. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  4. Wilson, Peter G. "Melaleuca deanei". Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: plantnet. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. "Melaleuca deanei". APNI. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  6. Ferdinand, Mueller (1886). "Some hitherto undescribed plants of New South Wales". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 2. 1: 1106. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Melaleuca deanei F.Muell. (a shrub)". Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  8. Hewitt, Alison; Holford, Paul; Renshaw, Adrian; Haigh, Anthony; Morris, E. Charles (2014). "Plant-level fecundity and andromonoecy in three common (Melaleuca styphelioides, M. thymifolia, M. nodosa) and one rare (M. deanei) Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) species of the Sydney region". Australian Journal of Botany. 62 (4): 276–285. doi:10.1071/BT14081.
  9. "Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 No 101". New South Wales Government. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  10. "Environment Legislation Amendment Act 2015". Australian Government. Retrieved 26 March 2015.