Melaleuca dealbata
| Karnbor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| M. dealbata foliage and flowers. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Melaleuca |
| Species: | M. dealbata |
| Binomial name | |
| Melaleuca dealbata S.T.Blake | |
Melaleuca dealbata is a tree in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is native to tropical areas in northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. It has a large number of common names including karnbor, swamp tea-tree, soapy tea-tree, blue-leaved tea-tree, blue tea-tree, honey tree and cloudy tea-tree. It is a medium to large leafy tree, growing in wet areas such as on the edges of coastal lagoons.
Description
Melaleuca dealbata is a relatively slow-growing tree to 25 metres (80 ft) with blue-grey foliage, hairy, pendulous branchlets and papery, layered bark. The leaves are elliptic to oval with an acute tip, 50–120 millimetres (2–5 in) long and 10–30 millimetres (0.4–1 in) wide, spirally arranged and scattered with five to seven prominent longitudinal veins. Young shoots and twigs are densely clothed in white or silver, erect hairs.
The small, creamy-white flowers are arranged in 7 to 28 groups of three on narrow spikes up to 120 millimetres (5 in) long and 25 millimetres (1 in) wide. The stamens are comparatively short at less than 10 millimetres (0.4 in). Flowers occur mainly in spring although they are often present at other times of the year.
The fruits are cup or barrel-shaped, about 3–4 millimetres (0.1–0.2 in) wide and long and the seeds are released annually.[1][2][3]
Taxonomy and naming
Melaleuca dealbata was first described in 1968 by S.T. Blake in Contributions from the Queensland Herbarium (Volume 1 pages 41–43).[4] The specific epithet (dealbata) is from the Latin dealbatus, meaning "white-washed".[5]
Distribution and habitat
Karnbor occurs in southern Papua New Guinea, Irian Jaya, Indonesia and northern Australia from north of Maryborough in Queensland through north Queensland to the Top End of the Northern Territory and into the Broome-Derby area and Weaber Range in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia.[1][2] It grows in warm to hot, humid, frost-free zones where the mean annual rainfall is mainly 1,100–1,750 millimetres (43–69 in) in summer. It is found in swampy areas near the coast and inland, mostly on wet sites along stream banks, on seasonally swampy ground and on the edges of lagoons with a range of soil types from sand to clay.[2]
Ecology
Like many other species of Melaleuca, M. dealbata has the potential to become a weed. There are about 4,500 viable seeds per gram.[2] The nectar-rich flowers attract parrots, honeyeaters, flying foxes and possums.[6]
Uses
The timber from Melaleuca dealbata is moderately heavy and very strong suggesting its potential use for posts and poles. The tree is very decorative and useful for shelterbelts and soil stabilisation and has been used for the restoration of bauxite mining sites in northern Australia. It is an excellent source of nectar for honey production.[2] The species has been tested for its oil components and found to produce an essential oil in low yield, including predominantly monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes with variation between individual plants.[7]
References
- ↑ 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. 80–81. ISBN 1876334983.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Species bank: Melaleuca dealbata". Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ↑ "Melaleuca dealbata". CSIRO Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ↑ "Melaleuca dealbata S.T. Blake". FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
- ↑ "dealbatus". Wiktionary. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ↑ "Swamp tea tree". North Queensland Dry Tropics. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ↑ "Melaleuca dealbata Soapy tea tree". Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
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