Melaleuca saligna facts for kids

Melaleuca saligna is a cool shrub or tree that belongs to the myrtle family. It's special because it only grows in one place: the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. This tree is usually small, with bark that feels like paper. Its branches hang down, and it has pretty white to greenish-yellow flowers. You can see these flowers almost all year, from February to November.

It's important not to mix up Melaleuca saligna with another plant called Callistemon salignus. Even though their names sound similar, they are different! One way to tell them apart is by their stamens (the parts of a flower that make pollen). In Melaleuca saligna, the stamens are grouped together in bundles. But in Callistemon salignus, the stamens are all separate.

What Does the Melaleuca Saligna Look Like?

Melaleuca saligna is a small tree. It has white, grey, or brown bark that feels like paper. It usually grows to about 10 m (30 ft) tall, but sometimes it can grow twice as high!

Its leaves are light green and shaped like narrow ovals. They are about 30–120 mm (1–5 in) long and 5–18 mm (0.2–0.7 in) wide. If you look closely, you can see 3 to 7 lines running along the leaf. One of these lines, the mid-vein, is very clear.

The flowers are white to greenish-yellow. They grow in spikes at the ends of the branches. Sometimes, they also grow in small groups where the leaves meet the stem. These flower spikes can be up to 23 mm (0.9 in) across.

Each spike has 5 to 15 groups of flowers, with three flowers in each group. The stamens are the parts of the flower that hold pollen. In Melaleuca saligna, the stamens are grouped into five bundles around the flowers. Each bundle has 6 to 9 stamens.

This tree flowers during the dry season, from February to November. After the flowers, small, woody seed pods called capsules grow. They are about 1.5–2.5 mm (0.06–0.1 in) long.

Where Did Its Name Come From?

The scientific name Melaleuca saligna was first officially written down in 1843. This was done by a person named Johannes Conrad Schauer.

The second part of its name, saligna, comes from the Latin word for willow. This is because the leaves of Melaleuca saligna look a bit like the leaves of willow trees.

Where Does the Melaleuca Saligna Live?

Melaleuca saligna is found on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. You can find it as far south as Cooktown. It also grows on some of the Torres Strait Islands.

This tree likes to grow in different places. You might see it in woodlands, swamps, or even on sand dunes. It also likes to grow near the edges of rivers, waterholes, and tidal creeks.