Melaleuca delta

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Melaleuca delta
Melaleuca delta (habit).JPG
Melaleuca delta in Fowlers Gully Nature Reserve near Wongan Hills.
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. delta
Binomial name
Melaleuca delta

Melaleuca delta is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub resembling Melaleuca marginata with its heads of white flowers in late spring but is distinguished from that species by the length of its style. Its species name is derived from the name for a computer software application.

Contents

Description

Melaleuca delta is a shrub often growing to 2.5 m (8 ft) high with the young branches covered with soft, silky hairs. Its leaves are arranged alternately, 5–12.5 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long, 1.5–2.8 mm (0.06–0.1 in) wide, narrow elliptic or narrow egg-shaped with the end tapering to a point. [1] [2]

The flowers are white and arranged in heads on the sides of the branches. The heads are up to 15 mm (0.6 in) in diameter and composed of 1 to 7 individual flowers. The style is 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long (compared to 7–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) in Melaleuca marginata ). The petals are 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long and fall off as the flower ages. There are five bundles of stamens around the flower, each with 15 to 40 stamens. Flowering occurs mainly in November and December and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. [1] [2]

M. delta leaves Melaleuca delta (foliage).JPG
M. delta leaves
M. delta fruit Melaleuca delta (fruits).JPG
M. delta fruit
M. delta bark Melaleuca delta (bark).JPG
M. delta bark

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca delta was first formally described in 1999 by Lyndley Craven from a specimen collected in the Wongan Hills. [3] [4] The specific epithet (delta) refers to a computer software package called DEscription Language for TAxonomy used by biologists. [1]

Distribution and habitat

This melaleuca occurs in three disjunct areas in the Kalbarri, Wongan Hills and Jurien Bay districts [1] [2] in the Avon Wheatbelt and Geraldton Sandplains biogeographic regions. [5] where it grows in gravelly loam in swampy areas, including those that are affected by salt. [1] [5]

Conservation status

Melaleuca delta is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. [5]

Related Research Articles

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

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

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

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

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

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

Melaleuca longistaminea is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with small, prickly, heart-shaped leaves and heads of yellow to green flowers on the sides of the stems in winter and spring. It is similar to Melaleuca spectabilis which was formerly included in this species but has smaller flowerheads and narrower leaves.

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

Melaleuca orbicularis is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is similar to Melaleuca cordata with its pinkish "pom-pom" heads of flowers but its leaves are smaller, almost circular compared to the heart shaped leaves of the other species.

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

Melaleuca ryeae is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub, closely resembling Melaleuca amydra with its small leaves and profuse heads of pink to purple flowers but M.amydra has narrower leaves and does not have spherical clusters of fruits.

Melaleuca similis is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south west of Western Australia. It is a small shrub, similar to Melaleuca stramentosa with its narrow, almost cylindrical leaves and heads of pink to purple flowers but lacks the matted, silky hairs on the young leaves and outer edge of the flower cup.

Melaleuca stramentosa is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, bushy shrub similar to Melaleuca similis with its cylindrical leaves and heads of pink to purple flowers but differs in have matted, woolly hairs around the flowers and on the young leaves.

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

Melaleuca tinkeri is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is one of the smallest melaleucas and is distinguished by its warty, hairy leaves, heads of pinkish flowers in late winter to spring and its spherical fruiting clusters.

Melaleuca villosisepala is a shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrow leaves, heads of pink to mauve flowers that fade to white and is similar to Melaleuca wonganensis except that its heads of flowers are smaller and pinkish rather than deep purple.

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

Melaleuca wonganensis is an erect shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with narrow leaves and purple to deep mauve flowers and is restricted in its distribution to the Wongan Hills district.

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

Melaleuca marginata is a shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is distinguished by its prickly leaves and its flowers occurring in long sections of the branches. From 1922 to 2011 was known as Melaleuca coronicarpa.

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

Melaleuca dichroma is a shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is unusual for its genus in that its flowers are yellow or creamy-white but age to a pinkish-red.

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

Melaleuca protrusa is a shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with papery bark, narrow leaves with a hooked end and cream-coloured or yellow flowers. Although it was described as late as 2010, it is not considered a rare or endangered species. It resembles other members of the brushwood group such as M. uncinata, M. atroviridis and M. zeteticorum.

Melaleuca sciotostyla, commonly known as Wongan melaleuca, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an endangered species with only 476 mature plants known in 2001. It is closely related and very similar to Melaleuca haplantha but has narrower leaves and fewer stamens per flower than that species.

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

Melaleuca ulicoides is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a small, densely foliaged shrub with small heads of white or cream flowers in spring. It is closely related to Melaleuca marginata but can be distinguished from it by the number and character of leaf veins.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 142. ISBN   9781922137517.
  2. 1 2 3 Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. p. 70. ISBN   1876334983.
  3. "Melaleuca delta". APNI. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  4. Craven, L. A.; Lepschi, B. J. (1999). "Enumeration of the species and infraspecific taxa of Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) occurring in Australia and Tasmania". Australian Systematic Botany. 12 (6): 872. doi:10.1071/SB98019.
  5. 1 2 3 "Melaleuca delta". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.