Melaleuca wilsonii

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Wilson's honey-myrtle
Melaleuca wilsonii.jpg
Melaleuca wilsonii in Maranoa Gardens
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. wilsonii
Binomial name
Melaleuca wilsonii
Synonyms [1]
  • Cajuputi wilsonii(F.Muell.) Skeels
  • Myrtoleucodendron wilsonii(F.Muell.) Kuntze

Melaleuca wilsonii, commonly known as Wilson's honey-myrtle or violet honey-myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, native to parts of South Australia and Victoria. It is a shrub with narrow, pointed leaves and heads of purplish-pink flowers on the sides of the branches. It is adaptable to a wide range of soils, frost hardy and often cultivated.

Contents

Description

Melaleuca wilsonii is a dense shrub growing to 2 m (7 ft) high and often spreading to 3 m (10 ft) wide with rough, flaky or corky bark. The leaves are arranged in alternating pairs (decussate) and are 8–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long, 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) wide and taper to a point. [2] [3]

Flowers occur on the older wood in clusters up to 10 cm (4 in) long, 25 mm (1 in) in diameter and are pale to dark pink or lilac in colour. The stamens are arranged in bundles of five around each flower with 6 to 15 stamens per bundle. The petals are brown, 2.8–3.3 mm (0.11–0.13 in) and deciduous. Flowers appear from October to December but mainly in the first weeks of November and the fruit which follow are woody capsules 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.14 in) long and scaly with the sepals remaining as teeth on the fruit. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Decussate leaf phyllotaxis M. wilsonii (San Diego Botanic Garden) Melaleucawilsonii.JPG
Decussate leaf phyllotaxis M. wilsonii (San Diego Botanic Garden)

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca wilsonii was first formally described in 1861 by Victorian State Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected by Reverend Julian Tenison-Woods in desert country near Tatiara and in the desert around Lake Hindmarsh by John Dallachy. [7] [8] The specific epithet (wilsonii) is a reference to a Charles Wilson, a friend of Mueller who apparently had some role in drawing the species to the botanist's attention. [3] [6] It is a member of Melaleuca , a large and diverse genus whose members range from large trees such as M. quinquenervia , to small shrubs. [9]

Inflorescence showing deciduous brown petals, small green sepals and stamen bundles. Melaleucawilsonii1.jpg
Inflorescence showing deciduous brown petals, small green sepals and stamen bundles.

Distribution and habitat

This melaleuca occurs from the south-east corner of South Australia to western and central Victoria. It grows in seasonally flooded and poorly drained soils in open scrubland, eucalypt forest and mallee heath. [3] [5]

Uses

Horticulture

This species is often cultivated, [2] thriving in light to heavy soils and preferring a sunny, well-drained position. It is frost- and drought tolerant. [2] [10] It may flower less in humid areas and the flowers that appear wilt quickly. [9] It was brought into cultivation in England in 1874 and is rarely seen in the United States. [9] The flowers attract birds and insects. [9] It is highly regarded as a horticultural subject. [11] Melaleuca wilsonii can be propagated by seed or cutting. [9]

Essential oils

The leaves of this shrub contain monoterpenes including 1,8-cineole but the amount is low. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Melaleuca nesophila</i> Species of tree

Melaleuca nesophila, commonly known as showy honey-myrtle, mindiyed or pink melaleuca, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to an area near Albany in Western Australia. The Noongar name for the plant is mindiyet. Hardy and adaptable, with a dense crown of leaves and prolific heads of pink or purple flowers in late spring and summer, it is one of the most commonly cultivated melaleuca shrubs.

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

Melaleuca armillaris, commonly known as bracelet honey myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is native to South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania in south-eastern Australia. It is a hardy, commonly grown species, often used as a fast-growing screen plant, but it also has the potential to become a weed. It has become naturalised in Western Australia and parts of Victoria. In its natural state, it grows on coastal cliffs and along estuaries.

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

Melaleuca dissitiflora, commonly known as creek tea–tree, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to Australia. It occurs in the drier parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. It grows in places like sandy creek beds and rocky gorges but it may have potential as a more productive source of "tea tree" oil than the usual Melaleuca alternifolia. It is closely related and very similar to Melaleuca linophylla with its papery bark, narrow leaves and loose spikes of creamy-white flowers but its flowers are larger, the stamens are longer and there are more stamens per bundle than in that species.

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

Melaleuca nematophylla, commonly known as wiry honey-myrtle is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is one of the showiest melaleucas when in flower in early spring, is easily grown and has unusual needle-like foliage. As a result, it is relatively common in cultivation in temperate parts of Australia.

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

Calothamnus gilesii is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, usually compact shrub with fine, pine-like foliage and which produces cluster of red flowers from June to January.

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

Calothamnus pinifolius, commonly known as dense clawflower, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with dense foliage and clusters of red flowers, partly immersed in the prickly foliage, between July and January.

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

Melaleuca acacioides, commonly known as coastal paperbark and as lunyamad by the Bardi people, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is native to the far north of Australia and the island of New Guinea. It is closely related to Melaleuca alsophila and Melaleuca citrolens, being differentiated from them by the number of flowers in a group. In this species, they are in groups of three. It is a small to medium-sized tree, sometimes with several trunks when growing in the open. It usually grows in areas with saline soils that are regularly flooded, often near mangroves.

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

Melaleuca acuminata, commonly known as mallee honeymyrtle is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to Australia and widespread in temperate areas of the continent. It is an erect shrub to about 3 m (9.8 ft) usually found in mallee woodland.

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

Melaleuca leiocarpa, commonly known as pungent honey-myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to arid areas in parts of South Australia and Western Australia. It is an erect or branching shrub distinguished by its prickly foliage, yellowish flowers and, for a melaleuca, unusually large, smooth, roughly spherical fruits.

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

Melaleuca bisulcata is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the a relatively small area on the west coast of Western Australia. It is difficult to distinguish this species from Melaleuca psammophila except on differences in the shape of the calyx lobes.

<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 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 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.

Melaleuca linophylla is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is native to the north-west of Western Australia. It is a bushy shrub with narrow leaves and spikes of cream-coloured flowers in spring. It is distinguished by its fruits which are much more urn-shaped than those of other melaleucas.

<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 pauperiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Melaleuca pauperiflora, commonly known as boree, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is native to the southern parts of South Australia and Western Australia. It is distinguished by its short, thick leaves and small but profuse heads of white or cream flowers. There are three subspecies.

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

Melaleuca suberosa, commonly known as corky-bark honey-myrtle or corky honeymyrtle, is a shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a distinctive shrub, recognised by its tiny, crowded leaves, corky bark and pink flowers that appear along lengths of leafless parts of the branches.

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

Calothamnus longissimus 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 unusually long, fine leaves and which produces clusters of red flowers in spring.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Melaleuca wilsonii". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd. ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 312–313. ISBN   1876334983.
  3. 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. 389. ISBN   9781922137517.
  4. "Melaleuca wilsonii". Australian native plant society (Australia). Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Violet honey-myrtle". Victoria government department of environment and primary industries. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 Beeton, Irene. "Melaleuca wilsonii". Australian national botanic gardens. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  7. "Melaleuca wilsonii". APNI. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  8. Mueller, Ferdinand (1860). Fragmenta phytographie Australiae. Melbourne. p. 124. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Elliot, Rodger W.; Jones, David L.; Blake. Trevor (1993). Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation:Volume 6 - K-M. Port Melbourne: Lothian Press. pp. 315–18, 375. ISBN   0-85091-589-9.
  10. Wrigley, John W.; Fagg, Murray (1983). Australian native plants : a manual for their propagation, cultivation and use in landscaping (2nd ed.). Sydney: Collins. p. 86. ISBN   0002165759.
  11. Walters, Brian (November 2007). "Melaleuca wilsonii". Plant Guide. Australian Native Plants Society. Retrieved 2 April 2015.