Melaleuca filifolia

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Wiry honey-myrtle
Melaleuca filifolia (leaves and flowers).JPG
Melaleuca filifolia leaves and flowers
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. filifolia
Binomial name
Melaleuca filifolia

Melaleuca filifolia, commonly called wiry honey-myrtle, [1] is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a woody, twiggy shrub with needle-shaped leaves, greenish flower buds, pink "pom-pom" flower heads and spherical clusters of fruits.

Contents

Description

Melaleuca filifolia is usually a small, spreading shrub to 2 m (7 ft) high, sometimes to 4 m (10 ft). The leaves are arranged alternately on the stem, are circular in cross-section,10–35 mm (0.4–1 in) long and 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide.

The flowers are arranged in almost spherical heads up to 23 mm (0.9 in) in diameter. The heads are on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering, and often also in upper leaf axils. Each head contains 6 to 13 groups of flowers in threes. The petals are 1.7–2.5 mm (0.07–0.1 in) long and fall off as the flower opens. The stamens are purple, pink or mauve with golden tips and are arranged in five bundles around the flower, each bundle containing 7 to 11 stamens. Flowering occurs in late spring to summer and the fruit that follow are woody capsules in tight, almost spherical clusters up to 14 mm (0.6 in) in diameter appearing like miniature footballs. [2] [3] [4]

M. filifolia growing near Geraldton. Melaleuca filifolia (habit).JPG
M. filifolia growing near Geraldton.
M. filifolia fruit Melaleuca filifolia (fruits).JPG
M. filifolia fruit

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca filifolia was first formally described in 1862 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from a specimen found in the dry bed of the Murchison River by Augustus Oldfield. [5] [6] The specific epithet (filifolia) is derived from the Latin words filum meaning "filament" and folium meaning "leaf", referring to the narrow leaves. [3]

Distribution and habitat

This melaleuca occurs between the Kalbarri and Mullewa districts near Geraldton [2] [3] in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains and Yalgoo biogeographic regions. [1] It grows in a range of soils and situations including sandy, gravelly and loamy soil over sandstone [3] [1] in Kwongan or tall scrub. [4]

Conservation status

Melaleuca filifolia is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. [1]

Use in horticulture

Some forms of this species are grown in gardens. [4]

Related Research Articles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Melaleuca concreta is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. The species name (concreta) refers to the way the fruits are tightly packed together.

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

Melaleuca eleuterostachya is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia and South Australia. It is a shrub or tree with arching branches, narrow leaves and small spikes of cream or white flowers.

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

Melaleuca glaberrima is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a dense, spreading shrub with needle shaped, but not sharp leaves and profuse pink or mauve flowers.

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

Melaleuca lasiandra is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to the northern inland of Australia. Its foliage is covered with soft, silky hairs giving the leaves a silvery-grey appearance and even the filaments of the stamens are hairy.

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

Melaleuca megacephala is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is native to the south-west of Western Australia. It is distinguished by its large, hemispherical heads of yellow and white flowers on the ends of the branches and the overlapping brown bracts under them.

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

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

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Calothamnus oldfieldii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, spreading shrub with needle-shaped leaves and clusters of red flowers with 5 petals and 5 stamen bundles.

<i>Phymatocarpus maxwellii</i> Species of flowering plant

Phymatocarpus maxwellii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It resembles many small species of Melaleuca, mainly differing in the way its anthers are attached at the top of the stamens. In Phymatocarpus they are attached at their base and open at the other end through two slits. It is a shrub with many small heads of pink to purple flowers, often covering the plant for several weeks in October.

<i>Phymatocarpus porphyrocephalus</i> Species of flowering plant

Phymatocarpus porphyrocephalus is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It resembles many small species of Melaleuca, mainly differing in the way its anthers are attached at the top of the stamens. In Phymatocarpus they are attached at their base and open at the other end through two slits. It is a shrub with many small heads of pink to purple flowers fading to white, often covering the plant for several weeks in spring.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Melaleuca filifolia". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  2. 1 2 Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 110–111. ISBN   1876334983.
  3. 1 2 3 4 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. 165. ISBN   9781922137517.
  4. 1 2 3 Corrick, Margaret G.; Fuhrer, Bruce A. (2009). Wildflowers of southern Western Australia (3rd ed.). [Kenthurst, N.S.W.]: Rosenberg Pub. p. 131. ISBN   9781877058844 . Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  5. "Melaleuca filifolia". APNI. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  6. Ferdinand, Mueller (1862). "Melaleuca filifolia". Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. 3 (21): 119–120. Retrieved 31 March 2015.