Melaleuca teretifolia

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Melaleuca teretifolia
Melaleuca teretifolia.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. teretifolia
Binomial name
Melaleuca teretifolia
Synonyms [1]
List
    • Gymnagathis teretifolia(Endl.) Schauer
    • Melaleuca hakeacea F.Muell.
    • Melaleuca pinifolia Turcz.
    • Melaleuca semiteresSchauer
    • Myrtoleucodendron teretifolium(Endl.) Kuntze

Melaleuca teretifolia is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, which is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with long, thin leaves and clusters of usually white flowers along considerable lengths of the branches in late spring and summer.

Contents

Description

Melaleuca teretifolia is a shrub which grows to a height of 5 m (20 ft) with light coloured papery bark and glabrous foliage. Its leaves are arranged alternately, 30–90 mm (1–4 in) long and 0.6–1.2 mm (0.02–0.05 in) wide. They are linear, almost circular in cross section, needle-like and with a sharp point on the end. [2]

The flowers are usually white but sometimes creamy white or a shade of pink. They are arranged in heads of 4 to 15 flowers up to 25 mm (1 in) in diameter arranged along the sides of the branches. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flowers and each bundle usually contains 6 to 8 stamens but sometimes up to 12. Flowering occurs between October and January and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules 2.5–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. [2] [3] [4]

Habit near Moore River National Park Melaleuca teretifolia (habit).JPG
Habit near Moore River National Park
Leaves and fruit Melaleuca teretifolia (fruits).JPG
Leaves and fruit
Bark Melaleuca teretifolia (bark).JPG
Bark

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca teretifolia was first formally described in 1837 by Stephan Endlicher in Enumaratio plantarum . [5] [6] The specific epithet (teretifolia) is from derived from the Latin words teres meaning "rounded" [7] :249 and folium meaning "a leaf" [7] :123 referring to the shape of the leaves as being almost circular in cross-section. [2]

Its Noongar name is Banbar. [8]

Distribution and habitat

Melaleuca teretifolia occurs in and between the Watheroo and Capel districts [2] in the Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions. [9] It grows in sand and clay in swamps and in low areas that fill with water in wet weather. [10]

Conservation

This species is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. [9]

Use in horticulture

A cultivar of this species known as "Georgina Molloy" is available in specialist nurseries. It has red flowers. Melaleucas can be grown from seed but Georgina Molloy must be grown from cuttings to keep its particular features. It is suited to temperate climates and requires well-drained soil. [3] [4] (Georgina Molloy was an early settler and botanical collector.)

Related Research Articles

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

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

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

Melaleuca linguiformis is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a shrub with hairy new growth, small leaves and heads of white flowers similar to Melaleuca teuthidoides shorter sepals and more stamens in each flower.

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

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

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

Melaleuca filifolia, commonly called wiry honey-myrtle, 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.

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

Melaleuca hamata is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It grows to a large, dense shrub with broombrush foliage and profuse pale yellow flowers in late spring.

Melaleuca sheathiana, commonly known as boree is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to central and south-western Western Australia. It is similar to Melaleuca pauperiflora except that it has small, spoon-shaped leaves.

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

Melaleuca striata is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It has distinctive leaves and heads of pink to mauve flowers, usually in late summer.

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

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<i>Verticordia huegelii <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> huegelii</i> Variety of flowering plant

Verticordia huegelii var. huegelii, commonly known as variegated featherflower, is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an upright, slender or bushy shrub, with creamish-white flowers turning pink or reddish maroon as they age, giving the plant a variegated appearance. It is similar to Verticordia huegelii var. decumbens but is more upright than that variety and lacks a lignotuber.

<i>Boronia cymosa</i> Species of flowering plant

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Philotheca brevifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to a small area in south-western New South Wales. It is a spreading shrub with fleshy, sessile, cylindrical leaves and white to pink flowers arranged singly or in small groups on the ends of branchlets.

<i>Philotheca linearis</i> Species of plant

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<i>Hibbertia huegelii</i> Species of flowering plant

Hibbertia huegelii is a species of flowering plant in the family Dilleniaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, spreading or prostrate shrub with hairy branchlets, linear leaves and yellow flowers arranged singly in leaf axils on the ends of shoots, with fifteen to twenty-five stamens in bundles around the four or five carpels.

Lasiopetalum cordifolium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy stems, heart-shaped leaves and pink, cream-coloured or white flowers.

References

  1. 1 2 "Melaleuca teretifolia". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  2. 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. 355. ISBN   9781922137517.
  3. 1 2 Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas: a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 282–283. ISBN   1876334983.
  4. 1 2 "Melaleuca teretifolia". Australian native plant society (Australia). Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  5. "Melaleuca teretifolia". APNI. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  6. Endlicher, Stephan (1837). Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiae ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hügel. Vienna. p. 49. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  7. 1 2 Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  8. Hansen, V. & Horsfall, J. (2016) "Noongar Bush Medicine Medicinal Plants of the south-west of Western Australia", p.200. UWA publishing, Crawley, WA
  9. 1 2 "Melaleuca teretifolia". Government of Western Australia department of parks and wildlife. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  10. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 398. ISBN   0646402439.