Melaleuca hnatiukii facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melaleuca hnatiukii
M. hnatiukii growing at the type location near Wittenoom Hill.
Scientific classification
Genus:	Melaleuca
Species:	hnatiukii

Melaleuca hnatiukii is a special kind of plant that belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. You can only find this plant growing naturally in the southern part of Western Australia. It's a medium to large bush with branches that curve gracefully. Its leaves have a little prickly tip, and in spring or early summer, it grows beautiful creamy-white flowers in clusters.

What Melaleuca hnatiukii Looks Like

Melaleuca hnatiukii is a shrub that can grow up to about 2.5 m (8 ft) (about 8 feet) tall. It has bark that looks whitish and feels like paper.

Leaves and Flowers

• The leaves of this plant are arranged one after another along the stem.
• They are shaped like a narrow oval, about 12–24 mm (0.5–0.9 in) (half an inch to an inch) long and 4–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) (a quarter to a third of an inch) wide.
• Each leaf has a short, sharp point at its end.
• The flowers are white or cream colored. They grow in round clusters or short spikes at the ends of the branches.
• Sometimes, new growth continues from these branches even after the flowers have bloomed.
• You might also find flowers growing where the leaves meet the stem.
• These flower clusters can be up to 23 mm (0.9 in) (almost an inch) across.
• Each cluster is made up of 2 to 12 smaller groups, with three flowers in each group.
• The petals of the flowers are about 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long and fall off as the flower gets older.
• Inside the flower, there are five groups of stamens (the parts that produce pollen), with 5 to 8 stamens in each group.

When it Flowers and Fruits

• Melaleuca hnatiukii usually blooms between September and January.
• After the flowers, the plant produces fruits.
• These fruits are woody capsules, which are like small, dry seed pods.
• They are usually 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long and grow in oval-shaped clusters around the stem.

How it Got its Name

Melaleuca hnatiukii was officially described for the first time in 1999. A botanist (a scientist who studies plants) named Lyndley Craven wrote about it in a science journal called Australian Systematic Botany. He studied a plant sample found near Scaddan.

The second part of the plant's name, hnatiukii, is a special way to honor Roger Hnatiuk. He was a botanist from Canada and Australia.

Where Melaleuca hnatiukii Grows

You can find Melaleuca hnatiukii in the areas around Scaddan and Esperance in Western Australia. It grows in sandy soils in areas with low, shrubby plants (called heathland) near salt lakes.

Conservation Status

The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife has listed Melaleuca hnatiukii as "not threatened." This means that there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not currently in danger of disappearing.

Images for kids

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  Habit at the type location near Wittenoom Hill.

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  M. hnatiukii leaves, flowers and fruit.