Melaleuca monantha

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Melaleuca monantha
Melaleuca monantha.JPG
M. monantha 5km south of the Palmer River.
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. monantha
Binomial name
Melaleuca monantha
(Barlow) Craven
Synonyms [1]

Melaleuca minutifolia subsp. monanthaBarlow

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.

Contents

Description

Melaleuca monantha is a shrub growing to 7 m (20 ft) tall. Its leaves are arranged in alternating pairs, (decussate) so that they are in four rows along the stems. Each leaf is oval to egg-shaped, 0.9–3 mm (0.04–0.1 in) long, 0.5–1 mm (0.02–0.04 in) wide tapering to a point on the end. [1] [2]

The flowers are white and arranged in small heads on the ends of branches that continue to grow after flowering or in the upper leaf axils. The heads are up to 12 mm (0.5 in) in diameter and composed of up to 8 individual flowers. The petals are 1.2–1.6 mm (0.05–0.06 in) long and fall off as the flower ages. There are five bundles of stamens around the flower, each with 6 to 14 stamens. Flowering occurs from October to February and is followed by fruit that are woody capsules 2–3.2 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long in small, loose clusters. [1] [2]

M.monantha foliage and fruiting capsules. Melaleuca monantha 02.JPG
M.monantha foliage and fruiting capsules.

Taxonomy and naming

The species was first formally described in 1987 by Bryan Barlow as a subspecies of Melaleuca minutifolia . The type specimen was collected near Granite Creek, near Mareeba in Far North Queensland and the description was published in Australian Systematic Botany . [3] [4] It was raised to species status in 1999 by Lyndley Craven. [5] [6] The specific epithet (monantha) is from the Ancient Greek words μόνος (mónos) meaning “alone", or "single” [7] :533 and ἄνθος (ánthos) meaning “flower", [7] :533 referring to the arrangement of the flowers individually rather than in pairs. [1]

Distribution and habitat

Melaleuca monantha occurs in Queensland, mainly between the Palmer River and Mount Sturgeon (near Hughenden) districts. [1] [2] [8]

Related Research Articles

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

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

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

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Melaleuca eximia is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is distinguished by its leaf arrangement, its large, showy red inflorescences and the large, furry bracts under the flowers.

<i>Melaleuca hollidayi</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.

Melaleuca procera is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, spindly shrub with cylinder-shaped leaves and heads of pinkish flowers in later spring or early summer.

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.

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

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

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

Melaleuca apostiba is a shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It was first described in 1990 by Kirsten Cowley and remains a poorly known species. It resembles Melaleuca lateritia except for its hairy leaves and flower structures as well as its leaf shape and size.

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

Melaleuca haplantha is a shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It was first described as a new species in 1988 when Bryan Barlow undertook a review of Melaleuca cuticularis and found it to include 13 separate species.

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 spectabilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Melaleuca spectabilis is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It was formerly known as a subspecies of Melaleuca longistaminea. It is a low, prickly shrub with yellow or lime-green flowers in spring and early summer.

Melaleuca subalaris is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is distinguished by its small, decussate leaves and small flower heads which rarely have more than one flower in each inflorescence.

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. 245. 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. 192. ISBN   1876334983.
  3. "Melaleuca minutifolia subsp. monantha". APNI. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  4. Barlow, Bryan A. (1986). "Contributions to a revisin of Melaleuca (Myrtaceae): 1-3". Brunonia. 9 (2): 176. doi:10.1071/BRU9860163 . Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  5. "Melaleuca monantha". APNI. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  6. 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): 891. doi:10.1071/SB98019.
  7. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  8. Craven, Lyndley A.; Ford, A.J. (2004). "A new species of Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) from northern Queensland, Australia" (PDF). Muelleria. 20: 4–8. Retrieved 3 June 2015.