''Melaleuca alsophila'', commonly known as the saltwater paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
,
Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pÅhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...
and is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the north of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
. It is a dense shrub or small tree with fibrous or papery bark and is common in areas seasonally inundated during the
wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...
.
Description
''Melaleuca alsophila'' is a dense shrub or tree to and is often multistemmed. There is considerable variation in its leaf size, even on one individual plant but they are commonly long (sometimes up to ), flat, 5 to 7-veined and spirally arranged on the stem. They are typically oval to tear-drop shaped, tapering near the stem.
The flowers are cream to white, in small dense heads. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flowers and in this species there are 9 to 16 stamens per bundle. Flowering occurs in the dry season, from March to October and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules about , cup or barrel-shaped, occurring singly or in small clusters.
Taxonomy and naming
''Melaleuca alsophila'' was first informally described by Allan Cunningham from a specimen collected on the north west coast of Australia during a voyage of . The description was formally applied in 1866 by George Bentham in ''Flora Australiensis''. The
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
(''alsophila'') is from the Greek ''alsos'', meaning "grove" and ''philos'' "loving", referring to the habitat of the species.
Distribution and habitat
Saltwater paperbark is found on sandy, often saline soils along watercourses, in swamps, on floodplains, coastal flats, and various saline habitats. It occurs in the Central Kimberley,
Dampierland
Dampierland is an interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia.IBRA Version 6.1
,
Northern Kimberley
The Northern Kimberley, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the northern Kimberley region of Western Australia,Victoria Bonaparte,
Great Sandy Desert
The Great Sandy Desert is an interim Australian bioregion,IBRA Version 6.1 data
and
Pilbara
The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...
biogeographic regions
A biogeographic realm or ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivided into ecoregions.
De ...
of Western Australia.
Indigenous uses
Aboriginal
Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to:
*Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology
* Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area
*One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...
people in the Kimberley region knew the plant to be a favourite resting place for pigeons and they used its trunk to build shelters. Native, stingless bees often make their hives in the trunk and branches. The bark can be used as a mosquito repellant and an infusion of its leaves is used to relieve the symptoms of a cold.
Conservation status
''Melaleuca alsophila'' is classified as "not threatened" by the
Government of Western Australia
The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...
Department of Parks and Wildlife
The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...