Melaleuca ctenoides facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Melaleuca ctenoides |
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| Melaleuca ctenoides foliage and flowers | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Melaleuca
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| Species: |
ctenoides
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Melaleuca ctenoides is a type of shrub that belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. This plant is special because it only grows in the southwest part of Western Australia. This means it is endemic to that area.
Scientists first officially described this plant in 1990. They were looking closely at a group of plants called Melaleuca laxiflora and found that it was actually ten different species! Two of these were new, and one was Melaleuca ctenoides. This plant looks a lot like Melaleuca laxiflora, but you can tell them apart by its unique comb-like leaves and pretty purple or violet flowers that bloom in spring.
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About the Plant
Melaleuca ctenoides is a spreading shrub that can grow up to about 3 metres (10 feet) tall. Its leaves and branches are smooth, meaning they don't have hairs. The leaves are shaped like thin lines, about 10 to 35 millimetres (0.4 to 1.4 inches) long. They are almost round when you look at them from the side.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of Melaleuca ctenoides are a lovely mauve (light purple) colour. They grow in spikes on the side branches. Each spike can have up to 20 individual flowers. These spikes are about 20 to 30 millimetres (0.8 to 1.2 inches) long and 25 millimetres (1 inch) across.
The petals are a pale pink, about 3 to 3.5 millimetres (0.12 to 0.14 inches) long. They fall off soon after the flower opens. The plant has many stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen. These stamens are grouped into five bundles around the flower. Each bundle has between 14 and 18 stamens.
This plant usually flowers from October to November. After the flowers, it produces woody fruits. These fruits are like small capsules, about 3.5 to 5.0 millimetres (0.14 to 0.20 inches) long.
Plant Name and History
The scientific name Melaleuca ctenoides was first officially given in 1990 by a scientist named F.C.Quinn. The plant was found near Wongan Hills.
The second part of its name, ctenoides, comes from two old Greek words. "Ctenos" means "comb," and "-oides" means "resembling." This name was chosen because the new young leaves on the plant look like the teeth of a comb.
Where It Grows
You can find Melaleuca ctenoides in Western Australia. It grows in areas between Maya, Narembeen, and Hyden. These areas are part of different natural regions like the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, and Mallee.
This plant likes to grow in sandy or clay soils. You can often spot it on hillsides and near large rock formations called granite outcrops.
Conservation Status
Good news! The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife lists Melaleuca ctenoides as "not threatened." This means that there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.
Images for kids
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The fruit of Melaleuca ctenoides
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Melaleuca ctenoides growing near Wongan Hills
