Melaleuca adenostyla facts for kids

Melaleuca adenostyla is a special plant that belongs to the Myrtaceae family, which also includes myrtle trees. This plant is only found in the south-west part of Western Australia. It's a tall, broom-like bush that can grow up to 5 meters (about 16 feet) high. It has thin leaves and pretty cream-colored flowers. You often find it growing in salty areas.

About This Plant

Melaleuca adenostyla is a shrub that can reach about 5 meters (16 feet) tall. Its leaves and branches are mostly smooth, meaning they don't have hairs. The leaves are arranged in a cool way: they grow in opposite pairs, with each pair turned a bit from the one below it. This is called "decussate." The leaves are usually thin, about 6 to 16 millimeters (0.2 to 0.6 inches) long and 0.8 to 1.2 millimeters (about 0.03 to 0.05 inches) wide.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers of Melaleuca adenostyla are cream-colored. They grow in a spike at the ends of the branches. Even after the flowers bloom, the branches keep growing! Each spike can have between one and 12 flowers and is about 18 millimeters (0.7 inches) across.

The petals on the flowers are small, about 1.8 to 2.4 millimeters (0.07 to 0.09 inches) long, and they fall off as the flower gets older. Around the flower, there are five groups of stamens (the parts that make pollen). Each group has 11 to 21 stamens. This plant usually flowers in spring.

After flowering, the plant produces woody fruits that look like small capsules. These capsules are about 3.5 to 4 millimeters (0.14 to 0.16 inches) long and are partly hidden within the branches.

How It's Different from Similar Plants

Melaleuca adenostyla looks a lot like another plant called M. platycalyx. However, M. platycalyx is a bit smaller and has pink or purple flowers. Also, its flowers have more stamens in each group (25 to 36) compared to M. adenostyla (11 to 21). The leaves of M. adenostyla are also thinner than those of M. platycalyx.

Plant Naming

Melaleuca adenostyla was officially described in 1999 by a scientist named Kirsten Cowley. She studied a plant sample found near Hyden.

The name adenostyla comes from old Greek words. "Adenos" means "gland," and "stylos" means "style." The "style" is a part of the flower. So, the name refers to the glandular style of the flower.

Where It Grows

This melaleuca plant is found in the Avon Wheatbelt and Mallee areas of Western Australia. You can see it from Dumbleyung all the way east to the Hyden and Newdegate regions. It likes to grow in white or gravelly sand, especially in salty areas like floodways and low-lying spots.

Conservation Status

The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife says that this plant species is "not threatened." This means there are enough of these plants, and they are not currently in danger of disappearing.