Yellow paperbark facts for kids

The Melaleuca pustulata, often called yellow paperbark, warty paperbark, or Cranbrook paperbark, is a special plant. It belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. This plant is only found in Tasmania, Australia.

It's a bit rare, being one of only two types of melaleuca plants that grow only in Tasmania. It's also one of just eight melaleuca species found naturally there. This shrub has thick leaves that look a bit pimply. Its new branches are covered in tiny hairs. In spring or early summer, it grows many pale yellow, sweet-smelling flowers.

What the Yellow Paperbark Looks Like

The Melaleuca pustulata is a bushy shrub with lots of leaves. It can grow up to 5 meters (about 16 feet) tall. Its new branches are usually quite hairy.

Its leaves grow in a special way. They are arranged one after another along the stem, or sometimes in groups of three. Each leaf is small, about 5 to 10 millimeters (0.2 to 0.4 inches) long. They are very narrow, shaped like a long oval or egg. If you cut a leaf in half, it would look roughly like a half-circle. The ends of the leaves come to a sharp point.

What makes these leaves special are the tiny bumps you can see on them. These bumps are actually oil glands, and they make the leaves look a bit blistered.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers of the yellow paperbark are white to yellowish and have a nice smell. They grow in groups, either in spikes or round heads, at the ends of the branches. Even after the flowers bloom, the branches keep growing.

Each flower head can be up to 18 millimeters (about 0.7 inches) wide. Inside, there are 15 to 30 individual flowers. Each flower has petals about 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) long. These petals fall off as the flower gets older.

Around the center of each flower, there are five groups of stamens. Stamens are the parts of the flower that make pollen. Each group has 5 to 9 stamens. The plant usually flowers from September to January.

After the flowers, the plant grows small, woody fruits. These fruits are shaped like cups and are called capsules. They are about 3 to 5 millimeters (0.1 to 0.2 inches) long. They grow in groups that look like small cylinders along the stem.

How to Tell it Apart

Sometimes, people confuse Melaleuca pustulata with another plant called Melaleuca ericifolia. This other plant also grows naturally in Tasmania. However, there's an easy way to tell them apart. The leaves of M. ericifolia do not have those raised oil glands that make M. pustulata leaves look bumpy. Also, the outside of the flower cup on M. ericifolia is hairy, which is different from M. pustulata.

How the Yellow Paperbark Got its Name

The scientific name Melaleuca pustulata was first officially described in 1847. This was done by a scientist named Joseph Dalton Hooker. He studied plant samples collected near Campbell Town and Great Oyster Bay in Tasmania.

The name 'Melaleuca' comes from ancient Greek words. It means 'black and white'. This name might refer to the color of the bark on some types of melaleuca trees.

The second part of the name, pustulata, comes from the Latin word pustula. This word means "pimple," "blister," or "bubble." This name was chosen because of the bumpy, blister-like oil glands on the leaves of this plant.

Where the Yellow Paperbark Grows

This special melaleuca plant is found mostly near the east coast of Tasmania. It usually grows in dry heath areas. These are places with low, shrubby plants and often have shallow soil. The soil where it grows often comes from a type of rock called dolerite.

Protecting the Yellow Paperbark

The Melaleuca pustulata is considered a rare species. The Tasmanian Government has a special law called the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995. Under this law, the yellow paperbark is protected to help make sure it doesn't disappear.

How People Use the Yellow Paperbark

The Melaleuca pustulata is a useful plant for gardens and farms. People sometimes use it to create hedges or windbreaks. Hedges are like living fences, and windbreaks help protect other plants from strong winds.

It is also grown as an ornamental plant. This means people grow it just because it looks nice, especially with its fragrant yellow flowers.