Melaleuca stereophloia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melaleuca stereophloia
M. stereophloia growing 20 km east of Geraldton
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Melaleuca
Species:	M. stereophloia
Binomial name
Melaleuca stereophloia (K.J.Cowley) Craven
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Melaleuca stereophloia is a cool plant from the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. You can only find it in the southwest part of Western Australia. It looks a lot like another plant called the broombush (Melaleuca uncinata). Both have thin, needle-like leaves and pretty yellow or white flowers. But Melaleuca stereophloia has bark that feels hard and stringy, not thin like paper.

What Does It Look Like?

Melaleuca stereophloia is a shrub that can grow up to about 4 meters (13 feet) tall. It has strong, gray bark that feels hard and fibrous.

• Leaves: Its leaves are placed one after another along the stem. They are usually 11 to 44 millimeters (about 0.4 to 1.7 inches) long and 1 to 2.2 millimeters (about 0.04 to 0.09 inches) wide. They are long and thin, round when you look at them from the side, and they get narrower towards the end with a little hook at the tip.

• Flowers: The flowers are yellow or white. They grow in small groups or short spikes on the sides of the branches. Each group has 4 to 13 sets of three flowers. These flower heads are about 15 to 17 millimeters (0.6 to 0.7 inches) across. The small petals, which are 0.9 to 2 millimeters (0.04 to 0.08 inches) long, fall off as the flower gets older. There are five groups of stamens (the parts that make pollen) around the flower, and each group has 3 to 7 stamens.

• Fruiting: This plant usually flowers between August and October. After the flowers, it grows woody capsules (like small seed pods). These capsules are 1.8 to 2.2 millimeters (about 0.07 to 0.09 inches) long and grow in tight, almost round bunches.

How It Got Its Name

The plant Melaleuca stereophloia was officially named in 1999 by a scientist named Lyndley Craven. He described it in a science journal called Australian Systematic Botany. He found a sample of the plant about 24 kilometers (15 miles) east of Koorda.

The second part of its name, stereophloia, comes from two old Greek words:

• stereos means 'hard' or 'solid'.
• phloios means 'bark'.

So, the name perfectly describes its hard bark!

Where It Lives

You can find Melaleuca stereophloia in several areas of Western Australia. These include places near Wooramel Station, Meekatharra, Coorow, and Koorda.

It likes to grow in different types of soil, like sand, clay, or loam. These soils are often found over laterite (a type of soil), granite (a hard rock), or sandstone (another type of rock). You'll often see it growing near rivers, lakes, salty areas, or saltpans.

Conservation Status

Good news! The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife says that Melaleuca stereophloia is "not threatened." This means it's not currently in danger of disappearing.

What It Can Be Used For

Essential Oils

The leaves of Melaleuca stereophloia have a lot of something called cineole. This chemical can be used to make flavorings, medicines, and even insect repellent!

Brushwood

This plant is good at coppicing, which means if you cut it down, it can grow back from its base. Because of this, it might be useful for making brushwood, which is used for things like fences or screens.

Images for kids

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  Habit near Geraldton

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  M. stereophloia leaves and flowers

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  M. stereophloia fruit

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  M. stereophloia bark