''Melaleuca howeana'', commonly known as tea tree, is a plant in the myrtle

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

, Myrtaceae 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 else ...

to the Lord Howe Island group, off the east coast of Australia. It is common in exposed areas, on cliffs and ridges, occasionally forming pure stands. Its closest mainland relative is ''

Melaleuca ericifolia ''Melaleuca ericifolia'', commonly known as swamp paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and the genus ''Melaleuca'', native to south-eastern Australia. It is a rather variable species and some specimens resemble '' Melaleuca armi ...

''.

Description

''Melaleuca howeana'' is a dense shrub growing to tall with flaky bark. Its young branchlets have fine, soft, silky hairs but become

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

with age. Its leaves are arranged alternately, sometimes in whorls of three, each leaf long, wide, linear to narrow elliptic in shape with a blunt tip. Melaleuca howeana RBG Sydney

The flowers are white, arranged in spikes at the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. Each spike is up to wide and contains between 6 and 18 individual flowers. The petals are long and fall off as the flower ages. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower with 6 to 12 stamens per bundle. Flowering occurs from mid-September to December and is followed by fruit which are woody, cup-shaped capsules long.

Taxonomy and naming

''Melaleuca howeana'' was first formally described in 1924 by

Edwin Cheel Edwin Cheel (14 February 1872 – 19 September 1951) was an Australian botanist and collector. Before being appointed as a staff member of Centennial Park in 1897 he was a gardener in New South Wales and Queensland. Later he transferred to the R ...

in '' Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales''. The specific epithet (''howeana'') refers to Lord Howe Island.

Distribution and habitat

''Melaleuca howeana'' occurs on Lord Howe Island and

Ball's Pyramid Ball's Pyramid is an erosional remnant of a shield volcano and caldera lying southeast of Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean. It is high, while measuring in length and only across, making it the tallest volcanic stack in the world. Ba ...

. It is common, especially in sites exposed to salt spray such as on the seashore and

sea cliffs A cliffed coast, also called an abrasion coast, is a form of coast where the action of marine waves has formed steep cliffs that may or may not be precipitous. It contrasts with a flat or alluvial coast. Formation In coastal areas in whic ...

but also on ridges further inland.

Ecology

''Melaleuca howeana'' provides habitat for the Lord Howe Island stick insect ''

Dryococelus australis ''Dryococelus australis'', commonly known as the Lord Howe Island stick insect or tree lobster, is a species of stick insect that lives on the Lord Howe Island Group. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Dryococelus''. Thought to be ...

'', a critically endangered species. A specimen on

is growing in a small crevice where water seeps through cracks in the underlying rocks. This moisture supports a relatively lush plant growth which resulted in a build-up of plant debris, several metres deep. The insects have been bred in captivity and returned to Lord Howe Island.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6811039 Endemic flora of Lord Howe Island howeana Plants described in 1924 Taxa named by Edwin Cheel