Melaleuca ordinifolia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Melaleuca ordinifolia | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Melaleuca |
| Species: | M. ordinifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Melaleuca ordinifolia | |
Melaleuca ordinifolia is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is closely related to Melaleuca brevifolia, but is smaller and differing mainly in its leaf features.
Melaleuca ordinifolia is a shrub to about 1.5 m (5 ft) tall. Its leaves are crowded together, and arranged in alternating pairs (decussate), so that they are in four rows along the branchlets. Each leaf is 3–7 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long and 0.8–1.5 mm (0.03–0.06 in) wide, very narrow oval in shape, slightly dished and with a rounded end.[2]
This species flowers profusely with many heads of white flowers on the sides of the branches. Each head is up to 15 mm (0.6 in) in diameter and contains one to six individual flowers. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flowers and there are 8 to 12 stamens per bundle. The main flowering period is in early spring and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules 3–4.2 mm (0.12–0.17 in) long.[2][3]
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Taxonomy and naming
Melaleuca ordinifolia was first formally described in 1992 by Bryan Barlow in Nuytsia as a new species.[4] The specific epithet (ordinifolia) is from the Latin ordo meaning a "methodical arrangement", "line", "series" or "row"[5]: 486 and folium meaning "a leaf"[5]: 340 referring to the regular arrangement of the leaves.[2]