Melaleuca delta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melaleuca delta
Melaleuca delta in Fowlers Gully Nature Reserve near Wongan Hills.
Scientific classification
Genus:	Melaleuca
Species:	delta

Melaleuca delta is a type of plant that belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. You can only find it growing naturally in the south-western part of Western Australia. This plant is a straight-growing shrub that looks a lot like another plant called Melaleuca marginata. Both have heads of white flowers that bloom in late spring. However, you can tell Melaleuca delta apart by the length of its style, which is a part of the flower. Its scientific name, delta, comes from the name of a computer program.

What it Looks Like

Melaleuca delta is a shrub that often grows up to about 2.5 m (8 ft) tall. Its younger branches are covered with soft, silky hairs. The leaves grow one after another along the stem. They are usually 5–12.5 mm (0.2–0.5 in) long and 1.5–2.8 mm (0.06–0.1 in) wide. They are narrow and shaped like an ellipse or a narrow egg, with a pointy end.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers of Melaleuca delta are white and grow in small groups, or "heads," on the sides of the branches. These flower heads can be up to 15 mm (0.6 in) across and contain 1 to 7 individual flowers. Each flower has a part called a style, which is 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long. This is shorter than the style of Melaleuca marginata, which is 7–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long.

The petals of the flowers are 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long and fall off as the flower gets older. Around the center of the flower, there are five groups of stamens (the parts that produce pollen), with each group having 15 to 40 stamens. Melaleuca delta usually flowers in November and December. After flowering, it produces woody capsules (fruits) that are 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long.

How it was Named

Melaleuca delta was officially described for the first time in 1999 by a scientist named Lyndley Craven. He found a sample of the plant in the Wongan Hills area. The second part of its scientific name, delta, refers to a computer program. This program is called "DEscription Language for TAxonomy" and is used by biologists to describe and classify living things.

Where it Grows

This melaleuca plant is found in three separate areas in Western Australia. These areas are around Kalbarri, Wongan Hills, and Jurien Bay. These places are part of what are called the Avon Wheatbelt and Geraldton Sandplains biogeographic regions. Melaleuca delta likes to grow in swampy areas, especially where the soil is gravelly loam and sometimes affected by salt.

Conservation Status

The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife has listed Melaleuca delta as "not threatened." This means that the plant is not currently considered to be in danger of disappearing.

Images for kids

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  Habit in Fowlers Gully Nature Reserve near Wongan Hills

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  M. delta leaves

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  M. delta fruit

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  M. delta bark