Melaleuca urceolaris

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Melaleuca urceolaris
Melaleuca urceolaris (habit).JPG
Melaleuca urceoloris growing in the Lesueur National Park
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. urceolaris
Binomial name
Melaleuca urceolaris

Melaleuca urceolaris is a low, spreading shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. Although it is rare in cultivation, it is an attractive garden plant due to its soft foliage and white flowers which fade to pink or red. It is similar to Melaleuca scabra with which it has often been confused. [2]

Contents

Description

Melaleuca urceolaris grows to a height of about 1.5 m (5 ft) spreading to 1 m (3 ft) or more with its low spreading branches. Its leaves are arranged alternately, mostly linear, 6.7–20 mm (0.3–0.8 in) long and 0.6–1 mm (0.02–0.04 in) with a covering of small soft hairs giving the leaves a greyish-green colour. [2] [3]

The flowers are arranged in heads up to 25 mm (1 in) in diameter, at or near the ends of the branches, with 2 to 12 flowers in each head. The flowers appear from August and November and are initially white to cream or lemon-yellow but age to pinkish or red. The stamens are arranged in bundles of five around the flower, with 9 to 15 stamens in each bundle. The base of the flower is hairy and 1.5–2.5 millimetres (0.06–0.1 in) long. The fruit are woody capsules, 2.8–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. [2] [3]

M. urceolaris leaves and flowers Melaleuca urceolaris (leaves, flowers).JPG
M. urceolaris leaves and flowers
M. urceolaris fruit Melaleuca urceolaris (leaves, fruits).JPG
M. urceolaris fruit

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca urceolaris was first formally described in 1867 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis . [1] [4] The specific epithet (urceolaris) is derived from the Latin urceus meaning "urn" or "pitcher" [5] referring to the shape of the fruit. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Melaleuca urceolaris occurs in the Arrino-Jurien Bay-Gingin districts in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions. [6] It grows in dense heath, low shrubland and woodland on sand, sand over laterite, sandy clay, and gravel. [2]

Conservation

Calothamnus urceolaris is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. [6]

Uses

Horticulture

This species is described as "a handsome foliage shrub, spectacular in flower in good forms" [3] growing well in poor sandy soil in winter-rainfall, temperate to semi-dry areas. [7]

Essential oils

This leaf oil of this species is mostly monoterpenoid yielding about 0.6% (weight/weight) from fresh leaves. [2]

Related Research Articles

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

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

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<i>Melaleuca incana <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> tenella</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

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

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

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

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

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

Melaleuca thymoides is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is usually a low shrub. The ends of the branches usually end in a sharp spine and the leaves also have a sharp point. Bright yellow flowers appear on the ends of the branches in spring or early summer.

References

  1. 1 2 "Melaleuca urceolaris". APNI. Retrieved 14 March 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. 374. ISBN   9781922137517.
  3. 1 2 3 Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 302–303. ISBN   1876334983.
  4. Mueller, Ferdinand (1866). Flora Australiensis, volume 3. London. p. 154. Retrieved 14 March 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 628.
  6. 1 2 "Melaleuca urceolaris". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  7. Wrigley, John; Fagg, Murray (1983). Australian native plants : a manual for their propagation, cultivation and use in landscaping (2nd ed.). Sydney: Collins. p. 270. ISBN   0002165759.