Melaleuca basicephala

Melaleuca basicephala
Conservation status

Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species: M. basicephala
Binomial name
Melaleuca basicephala
Benth.

Melaleuca basicephala is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a rarely-seen shrub from the dense freshwater swamps of the wet far south-west corner of the state.

Description

Melaleuca basicephala grows to a height of about 0.9 metres (40 in) with glabrous branches. The leaves are in alternating opposite pairs (that is, decussate). The leaves are 8–12.5 millimetres (0.3–0.5 in) long, 1.8–2.5 millimetres (0.07–0.1 in) wide, oval or tear-drop shaped and glabrous.

The flowers are in heads on the previous year's shoots in groups of two to ten, the heads up to 10 millimetres (0.4 in) in diameter. The stamens are in five bundles around the flower, each bundle with 17 to 23 pinkish-purple or mauve-pink, stamens. Flowering occurs from November to February. The fruits are 3 millimetres (0.1 in) long.[1][2]

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca basicephala was first described in 1867 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis.[3] The specific epithet (basicephala) is from the Greek βάσις (básis) meaning "base"[4] and κεφαλή (kephalḗ) meaning "head"[5] referring "to the inflorescences usually being at the base of lateral shoots."[2]

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs in dense swamps in the Augusta and Northcliffe districts[1] in the Jarrah Forest and Warren biogeographic regions.[6] It grows in black, peaty sand and clay in winter-wet flats and swamps.[7]

Conservation

Melaleuca basicephala is classified as "priority 4" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife[6] meaning that it is rare or near threatened and in need of monitoring.[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed. ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 14–15. ISBN 1876334983.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 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. 86. ISBN 9781922137517.
  3. ↑ "Melaleuca basicephala". APNI. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "basis". Wiktionary. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "cephalon". Wiktionary. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Melaleuca basicephala". FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
  7. ↑ Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 391. ISBN 0646402439.
  8. ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 1 May 2015.

External sources