Pointed-leaved honey-myrtle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pointed-leaved honey-myrtle |
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| Melaleuca oxyphylla leaves and flowers | |
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| Genus: |
Melaleuca
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| Species: |
oxyphylla
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The Pointed-leaved Honey-Myrtle (scientific name: Melaleuca oxyphylla) is a special plant. It belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. This plant only grows in one specific place: the Eyre Peninsula area of South Australia. This means it is endemic to that region.
It has long, thin branches that look a bit grey. Its flowers are small and grow in groups, usually white or creamy yellow. The leaves have a unique shape and are arranged in a special way. It looks a bit like another plant called Melaleuca acuminata, but the Pointed-leaved Honey-Myrtle has longer, thinner leaves. It also has shorter stamens, which are the parts of the flower that make pollen.
What Does the Pointed-Leaved Honey-Myrtle Look Like?
The Melaleuca oxyphylla is a shrub. It usually grows to be about 1 to 2 meters (3 to 7 feet) tall. When its leaves are young, they are covered with soft, silky hairs. As they get older, they become smooth and hairless.
The leaves are packed closely together on the branches. They are arranged in a special pattern: each pair of leaves grows at a right angle to the pair above and below it. This makes them form four neat rows along the branchlets. Each leaf is about 5.5 to 12 millimeters (0.2 to 0.5 inches) long. They are also about 1.2 to 1.7 millimeters (0.05 to 0.07 inches) wide. The leaves are narrow and oval-shaped, with a fine, pointed tip. This tip is not prickly.
The flowers are white to creamy yellow. They grow in small groups between the leaves. These flower heads can be up to 18 millimeters (0.7 inches) wide. Each head contains 1 to 5 individual flowers. The petals of the flowers are about 2 to 3.2 millimeters (0.08 to 0.13 inches) long. The stamens, which are the parts that hold pollen, are grouped into five bundles around the flowers. Each bundle has 9 to 15 stamens.
This plant mainly flowers in spring. After the flowers, it grows fruit. The fruit are smooth, woody capsules. They are roughly round and about 3.5 to 4 millimeters (0.14 to 0.16 inches) long. These fruits grow in scattered groups along the branches.
Where Does its Name Come From?
This plant was first officially described in 1979. A botanist named John Carrick wrote about it in a science journal. He used a plant sample collected by David Symon from the Gawler Ranges in South Australia.
The second part of its scientific name, oxyphylla, comes from two ancient Greek words. The word oksús means "sharp" or "acute." The word phýllon means "leaf." So, oxyphylla refers to the plant's sharp-tipped leaves.
Where Does This Plant Grow?
The Melaleuca oxyphylla plant is found in the Eyre Peninsula region of South Australia. It mostly grows between the towns of Minnipa and Cowell. You can often find it growing along creeks in clay soils.
