Melaleuca blaeriifolia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Melaleuca blaeriifolia |
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| M. blaeriifolia at Cape Riche dam. | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Melaleuca
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| Species: |
blaeriifolia
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Melaleuca blaeriifolia is a cool shrub that grows in the south-west part of Australia. It's part of the Myrtaceae family, which includes many plants like eucalyptus. This plant is special because it's endemic to this small area, meaning it naturally grows nowhere else in the world! It has small leaves and pretty greenish-yellow flowers.
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What Does Melaleuca blaeriifolia Look Like?
This plant is usually a dense, bushy shrub. It can grow up to about 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6 feet) tall. Its branches are often tangled together.
The leaves of Melaleuca blaeriifolia are small. They are shaped like an egg or a triangle. Each leaf is about 2 to 6 millimeters (0.08 to 0.24 inches) long and 1.1 to 2.5 millimeters (0.04 to 0.1 inches) wide. They have a short stem connecting them to the branch.
Flowers and Fruits
You can see greenish-yellow flowers on this plant for a long time, usually from August to November. The flowers grow in groups that look like cylinders or balls. These flower groups can be found at the ends of the branches or where the leaves meet the stem (called leaf axils) on older parts of the plant.
The bright color of the flowers comes from their stamens. Stamens are the parts of a flower that produce pollen. In this plant, the stamens are grouped into five bundles around the flower. Each bundle has three to five stamens.
After the flowers bloom, they turn into woody capsules. These capsules are like small, hard seed pods. They are shaped like cylinders, about 6 millimeters (0.24 inches) wide and long. You'll find them alone or in small groups. The small green parts that were at the base of the flower (called sepals) stay on the fruit as tiny teeth.
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How This Plant Got Its Name
This plant was first officially described in 1847. A Russian botanist named Nikolai Turczaninow gave it its scientific name.
The second part of its name, blaeriifolia, tells us something about its leaves. It comes from the name of another plant group called Blaeria and the Latin word folium, which means "leaf." So, blaeriifolia means "with leaves like Blaeria." This is because its leaves look similar to plants in the Blaeria group.
Where Melaleuca blaeriifolia Grows
You can find Melaleuca blaeriifolia in the south-west of Western Australia. It grows in an area stretching from the Manjimup district all the way to the Pallinup River. This includes places like the Porongurup National Park.
It likes to grow in sandy or clay soils. You'll often see it on rocky hillsides and near large granite rocks.
Is It Endangered?
Good news! The government of Western Australia says that Melaleuca blaeriifolia is "not threatened." This means there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.
