''Melaleuca squamea'', commonly known as swamp honey-myrtle, 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, pōhutukawa, 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 south eastern parts of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, especially

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. It is an erect shrub growing in damp and swampy places with crowded leaves and many heads of pink to purple flowers in spring.

Description

''Melaleuca squamea'' is a shrub growing to high, sometimes to with corky or rough, scaly bark and stiff, rather erect branches. Its leaves are arranged alternately, long, wide, crowded, linear to narrow egg-shaped and taper to a soft, pointed end. The leaves have between three and five longitudinal veins. The flowers are a shade of lilac to mauve, sometimes white or yellowish. They are arranged in heads or short spikes on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. Each head contains 3 to 26 individual flowers and is up to in diameter. The petals are long and fall off as the flower matures. There are five bundles of

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s around the flower, each with 4 to 9 stamens. Flowering occurs in spring and is followed by fruit which are woody, almost spherical capsules, long. The capsules remain unopened on the stems for several years.

Taxonomy and naming

''Melaleuca squamea'' was first formally described in 1806 by Jacques Labillardière in '' Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen'' 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 ...

(''squamea'') is from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word ''squama'' meaning "scale", referring to the bark of this species.

Distribution and habitat

This melaleuca is widespread through Tasmania and there are disjunct populations in south eastern

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, south western Victoria and in near-coastal areas in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

from the Tweed River south to the Royal National Park. It grows in heath in damp or swampy areas.

Use in horticulture

''Melaleuca squamea'' is a useful plant as a screen or background plant. It is frost and drought tolerant and survives in poorly drained soil. It does not do well in limy or saline soils and prefers a sunny situation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6811092 squamea Flora of New South Wales Flora of South Australia Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of Tasmania Plants described in 1806