Melaleuca sculponeata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Melaleuca sculponeata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Melaleuca |
| Species: | M. sculponeata |
| Binomial name | |
| Melaleuca sculponeata | |
Melaleuca sculponeata is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, rare shrub with fleshy leaves and white heads of flowers.
Melaleuca sculponeata is a shrub growing to about 0.5 m (2 ft) tall with branches and leaves that are glabrous when mature. Its leaves are arranged in alternating pairs, each pair at right angles to the ones above and below (decussate) so that the leaves form four rows along the stems. Each leaf is 1.3–3.2 mm (0.05–0.1 in) long and 0.8–1.2 mm (0.03–0.05 in) wide, narrow oblong in shape and fleshy with the lower part of the leaf touching the stem. The leaf is concave on the upper surface, convex on the lower surface where 6 to 8 oil glands are visible but not prominent.[2][3]
The flowers are white and arranged in heads on the sides of the branches. Each head contains 4 to 12 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 October and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules 2–2.5 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) in diameter forming clusters on the old wood.[2][4]