Melaleuca sericea
| Melaleuca sericea | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Melaleuca |
| Species: | M. sericea |
| Binomial name | |
| Melaleuca sericea Byrnes | |
Melaleuca sericea is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the north of Western Australia and the north-west of the Northern Territory. It is a paperbark similar to Melaleuca dealbata but its leaves are covered with silky hairs, the flowers are whitish by comparison and it does not grow as tall as that species.
Description
Melaleuca sericea is a small tree growing to about 10 metres (30 ft) tall. Its leaves are arranged alternately and are 15–65 millimetres (0.6–3 in) long, 3–11 millimetres (0.1–0.4 in) wide, narrow elliptic or narrow oval in shape, covered with silky hairs and have 3 to 5 longitudinal veins.[1]
The flowers are white or pale creamy-yellow in colour and are arranged in heads or spikes on the ends of branches that continue to grow after flowering as well as in the upper leaf axils. The heads contain 2 to 9 groups of flowers in threes and are up to 18 millimetres (0.7 in) in diameter. The stamens are in five bundles around the flowers, each bundle containing 6 to 14 stamens. Flowering occurs during the dry season, including from January to September and is followed by the fruits which are woody capsules 1.5–2.5 millimetres (0.06–0.1 in) long.[1][2]
Taxonomy and naming
Melaleuca sericea was first described in 1984 by Norman Byrnes in Austrobaileya.[3] The specific epithet (sericea) is from the Ancient Greek serikon meaning "silk",[4] referring to the silky covering on the leaves.[1]
Distribution and habitat
Melaleuca sericea occurs in the eastern Kimberley region of Western Australia and the western part of the Northern Territory. It grows in woodland on a range of clay and sandy soils.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 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. 322. ISBN 9781922137517.
- ↑ Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed. ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. p. 80. ISBN 1876334983.
- ↑ "Melaleuca sericea". APNI. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ↑ Chmielewski, Jerry G. (2011). A pictorial & ethnobotanical guide to plants of Eastern North America. [United States]: AuthorHouse. p. 258. ISBN 9781456748456. Retrieved 21 April 2015.