Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

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Melaleuca squarrosa

Common name

Scented paper-bark

Family

Myrtaceae

Where found

Dry forest and heath, in damp places. Coast, ranges, and the eastern edge of the tablelands.

Notes

Shrub or tree to 12 m tall. Bark papery or corky but rough on old stems. Young shoots hairy. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, opposite or nearly opposite each other, 0.5-1.5 cm long, 3-7 mm wide, 5–7 longitudinal veins usually visible, surfacees hairless or occasionally bristly, tips pointed. Flower spikes 15 to about 50 mm long, 15–22 mm wide, white to yellowish. Flowers fragrant. Individual flowers with 5 petals, each to 2 mm long. Petals sometimes tinged with pink. Stamens 5–8 mm long. Flowers Winter to Summer.

Occasionally hybridises with Melaleuca squamea when the parent species grow together.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Melaleuca~squarrosa (accessed 24 January, 2021)