Melaleuca concinna facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melaleuca concinna
Melaleuca concinna growing near Ravensthorpe
Scientific classification
Genus:	Melaleuca
Species:	concinna

The Melaleuca concinna is a small, pretty shrub. It belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. This plant is special because it only grows in the south-west part of Western Australia. Its name, concinna, means "neat" or "pretty."

This shrub is known for its many pink flowers that bloom in late spring. After the flowers, it grows round clusters of woody fruits.

What Does Melaleuca concinna Look Like?

Melaleuca concinna is a prickly, spreading shrub. It usually grows to about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall.

Leaves of the Shrub

The leaves grow one after another along the stem. They are about 3.5 to 13 millimeters (0.14 to 0.51 inches) long. Each leaf is about 1.0 to 1.8 millimeters (0.039 to 0.071 inches) wide. They are almost round when you look at them from the side. Each leaf has a short stem, less than 1 millimeter long, and a sharp, pointed tip.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers grow in groups, called heads. These heads are found at the ends of the branches. The branches keep growing even after the flowers bloom. Each flower head can be up to 17 millimeters (0.67 inches) wide. It holds between 4 and 9 smaller groups of flowers. Each of these smaller groups has 3 individual flowers.

White leaf-like parts, called bracts, surround the base of the flowers. The petals are small, about 0.8 to 1.5 millimeters long. They fall off as the flower opens. The flowers have five groups of stamens around them. Stamens are the parts that make pollen. Each group has 3 to 5 pink or purple stamens.

The main time for flowering is in October and November. After the flowers, the plant grows round clusters of fruit. These fruit clusters are about 7 millimeters (0.28 inches) wide.

Naming and History

This plant was first officially described in 1852. A Russian botanist named Nikolai Turczaninow gave it its scientific name. He wrote about it in a science paper called Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou.

What Does Concinna Mean?

The second part of its name, concinna, comes from the Latin word concinnus. This word means "neat," "pretty," or "elegant."

Where Does Melaleuca concinna Live?

This type of melaleuca plant grows in the southern Stirling Range. It is also found in the Jerramungup and Ravensthorpe areas. These places are in the Esperance Plains and Mallee regions of Western Australia.

What Kind of Habitat Does It Like?

Melaleuca concinna likes to grow in sandy soil that has clay or laterite underneath. You can find it in mallee scrub or heath areas. It also grows along railway lines.

Is Melaleuca concinna Safe?

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

Growing Melaleuca concinna

This plant is not grown very often by people. However, it has been successfully grown in Adelaide, a city in Australia.

Images for kids

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  The fruit of Melaleuca concinna

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  How Melaleuca concinna grows