Melaleuca monantha
| Melaleuca monantha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Melaleuca monantha 5km south of the Palmer River. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Melaleuca |
| Species: | M. monantha |
| Binomial name | |
| Melaleuca monantha (Barlow) Craven | |
Melaleuca monantha is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to an area in Queensland, Australia. It is a shrub, similar to Melaleuca minutifolia with very small leaves but the leaves lack oil glands and its flowers occur singly, rather than in pairs. It is also similar to Melaleuca sylvana but is usually multi-stemmed and has a more dense crown than that species.
Description
Melaleuca monantha is a shrub growing to 7 metres (20 ft) tall. Its leaves are arranged in alternating pairs, (decussate) so that they are in four rows along the stems. Each leaf is oval to egg-shaped, 0.9–3 millimetres (0.04–0.1 in) long, 0.5–1 millimetre (0.02–0.04 in) wide tapering to a point on the end.[1][2]
The flowers are white and arranged in small heads on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering or in the upper leaf axils. The heads are up to 12 millimetres (0.5 in) in diameter and composed of up to 8 individual flowers. The petals are 1.2–1.6 millimetres (0.05–0.06 in) long and fall off as the flower ages. There are five bundles of stamens around the flower, each with 6 to 14 stamens. Flowering occurs from October to February and is followed by fruits which are woody capsules 2–3.2 millimetres (0.08–0.1 in) long in small, loose clusters.[1][2]
Taxonomy and naming
Melaleuca monantha was first formally described in 1999 by Lyndley Craven in Australian Systematic Botany.[3][4] It had previously been described as a subspecies of Melaleuca minutifolia by Bryan Barlow from a specimen collected near Granite Creek, near Mareeba in Far North Queensland.[5][6] The specific epithet (monantha) is from the Ancient Greek words μόνος (mónos) meaning “alone", or "single”[7] and ἄνθος (ánthos) meaning “flower",[8] referring to the arrangement of the flowers individually rather than in pairs.[1]
Distribution and habitat
Melaleuca monantha occurs in Queensland, mainly between the Palmer River and Mount Sturgeon (near Hughenden) districts.[1][2][9]
References
- 1 2 3 4 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. 245. ISBN 9781922137517.
- 1 2 3 Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. p. 192. ISBN 1876334983.
- ↑ "Melaleuca monantha". APNI. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ Craven, L. A.; Lepschi, B. J. (1999). "Enumeration of the species and infraspecific taxa of Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) occurring in Australia and Tasmania". Australian Systematic Botany 12 (6): 891. doi:10.1071/SB98019.
- ↑ "Melaleuca minutifolia subsp. monantha". APNI. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ Barlow, Bryan A. (1986). "Contributions to a revisin of Melaleuca (Myrtaceae): 1-3". Brunonia 9 (2): 176. doi:10.1071/BRU9860163. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ "mono-". Wiktionary. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ "ἄνθος". Wiktionary. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ Craven, Lyndley A.; Ford, A.J. (2004). "A new species of Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) from northern Queensland, Australia" (PDF). Muelleria 20: 4–8. Retrieved 3 June 2015.