Melaleuca shiressii facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melaleuca shiressii
M. shiressii in Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
Scientific classification
Genus:	Melaleuca
Species:	shiressii
Synonyms
Callistemon shiressii Blakely

Melaleuca shiressii is a special plant that belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. It is found only in a small area of New South Wales, Australia. This makes it an "endemic" plant, meaning it naturally grows nowhere else. Some plant experts still call it Callistemon shiressii. It is a rare shrub or a small tree. It has pale, papery bark and leaves that end in a sharp point. In spring and summer, it grows spikes of white to pale cream flowers that look like bottlebrushes.

What Does Melaleuca shiressii Look Like?

Melaleuca shiressii can grow as a shrub or a small tree, reaching up to 12 m (40 ft) tall. It has white or grey bark that feels like paper. Its leaves grow one after another along the stem. They are usually 19–66 mm (0.7–3 in) long and 3–10 mm (0.1–0.4 in) wide. The leaves are mostly flat and shaped like a narrow oval or a narrow egg, ending in a sharp tip.

You can see a main vein in the middle of the leaf, and other veins along the edges. There are also 12 to 23 clear side veins. The leaves have many small "oil glands" that you can often see. The edges of the leaves might curl under, and the bottom side is usually lighter in color than the top.

The flowers are cream or greenish-cream. They grow in spikes at the ends of branches or around them. The branches keep growing even after the flowers bloom. These flower spikes are 18–22 mm (0.7–0.9 in) across and 30–50 mm (1–2 in) long. Each spike has between 5 and 25 individual flowers. The petals are small, about 1.7–3.3 mm (0.07–0.1 in) long. They fall off as the flower gets older. Each flower has many stamens, which are the parts that produce pollen, usually between 48 and 84.

This plant flowers from September to January. After flowering, it produces woody fruits called "capsules." These capsules are 2.5–3.7 mm (0.098–0.15 in) long and 5 mm (0.2 in) wide. They hold the seeds.

How This Plant Got Its Name

The plant Melaleuca shiressii was officially named in 2006 by a scientist named Lyndley Craven. He moved the plant from the group Callistemon to the group Melaleuca. Before that, in 1941, another scientist named William Blakely had first described it as Callistemon shiressii.

The second part of its name, shiressii, honors David William Campbell Shiress. He was an accountant and a friend of William Blakely. David Shiress helped collect the very first plant sample, known as the "type specimen." They found it on shale ridges about one mile northwest of Narara railway station. David Shiress lived from about 1862 to 1944.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in England now considers Callistemon shiressii to be the same plant as Melaleuca shiressii.

Where Does Melaleuca shiressii Grow?

Melaleuca shiressii is found in a specific region of New South Wales. It grows between the areas of Singleton and Richmond. This plant likes to grow in moist forests and on ridges, which are elevated areas of land.

Pictures of Melaleuca shiressii

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  M. shiressii growing in the Australian National Botanic Gardens

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  The papery bark of M. shiressii

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  M. shiressii maturing capsules, which hold the seeds