Melaleuca podiocarpa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melaleuca podiocarpa
M. podiocarpa growing near Lake Grace
Scientific classification
Genus:	Melaleuca
Species:	podiocarpa

Melaleuca podiocarpa is a type of plant that belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. It grows only in the south-west part of Western Australia. This plant is a bushy shrub with spiky leaves and small white flowers. The flowers are often hard to see because they are hidden among the leaves.

What it Looks Like

Melaleuca podiocarpa is a shrub that can grow up to 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) tall. Its leaves are placed one after another along the stem. They are usually 4.5 to 14 millimeters (about 0.2 to 0.6 inches) long and 1.5 to 6 millimeters (about 0.06 to 0.24 inches) wide. The leaves are shaped like an oval or an egg. They are also curved like a crescent moon when you look at them from the side. The end of each leaf tapers to a sharp, prickly point.

The flowers are white and grow in small groups at the ends and sides of the branches. Each group has up to three individual flowers. The outer part of the flower cup, called the hypanthium, is covered in tiny hairs. The petals are 4.5 to 5.5 millimeters (about 0.18 to 0.22 inches) long and fall off as the flower gets older. Inside each flower, there are five groups of stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen. Each group has 30 to 45 stamens. This plant usually flowers from mid-spring to mid-summer. After flowering, it produces fruits that are woody, cup-shaped capsules. These capsules are 3.8 to 7.7 millimeters (about 0.15 to 0.3 inches) long.

How it Got its Name

Melaleuca podiocarpa was first officially described in 1999 by a scientist named Lyndley Craven. He wrote about it in a scientific journal called Australian Systematic Botany. The plant he studied was found on the road between Lake King and Norseman.

The second part of its scientific name, podiocarpa, comes from two ancient Greek words. Podos means "foot," and karpos means "fruit." This name was chosen because the fruit capsules have a base that looks a bit like a foot.

Where it Grows

This type of melaleuca plant is found in the area between Lake King and Grass Patch in Western Australia. This region is known as the Mallee biogeographic region. It typically grows in sandy, gravelly, or clay soils on flat plains.

Conservation Status

The Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife has listed Melaleuca podiocarpa 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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  M. podiocarpa growing near Lake Grace

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  M. podiocarpa leaves and flowers.

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  M. podiocarpa fruit

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  M. podiocarpa bark