Melaleuca teretifolia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melaleuca teretifolia
M. teretifolia growing near Moore River National Park
Scientific classification
Genus:	Melaleuca
Species:	teretifolia

Melaleuca teretifolia is a cool plant from the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. It only grows naturally in the south-west part of Western Australia. This plant is a shrub with long, thin leaves. It also has clusters of flowers, usually white, that grow along its branches in late spring and summer.

What Does Melaleuca teretifolia Look Like?

Melaleuca teretifolia is a shrub that can grow up to 5 m (20 ft) tall. It has light-colored, papery bark and smooth leaves without any hairs.

Its leaves are arranged one after another along the stem. They are about 30–90 mm (1–4 in) long and very thin, only about 0.6–1.2 mm (0.02–0.05 in) wide. The leaves are shaped like a needle, almost perfectly round if you cut across them, and they have a sharp point at the end.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers of Melaleuca teretifolia are usually white, but sometimes they can be creamy white or even a light pink. They grow in groups of 4 to 15 flowers, forming heads up to 25 mm (1 in) wide. These flower clusters appear along the sides of the branches.

Inside each flower, there are stamens (the parts that make pollen) arranged in five groups. Each group usually has 6 to 8 stamens, but sometimes up to 12. This plant flowers between October and January. After the flowers, it produces woody fruits called capsules, which are about 2.5–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long.

How Melaleuca teretifolia Got Its Name

The plant Melaleuca teretifolia was first officially described in 1837 by a scientist named Stephan Endlicher. He wrote about it in a book called Enumaratio plantarum.

The second part of its scientific name, teretifolia, comes from two Latin words:

• teres, which means "rounded"
• folium, which means "a leaf"

This name describes the plant's leaves, which are almost perfectly round when you look at them in cross-section.

The Noongar people, who are the traditional owners of the land where this plant grows, call it Banbar.

Where Melaleuca teretifolia Lives

Melaleuca teretifolia grows in the south-west of Western Australia. You can find it between the areas of Watheroo and Capel. It lives in different natural regions like the Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, and Swan Coastal Plain.

This plant prefers to grow in sandy or clay soils. It often lives in swamps or low areas that fill up with water when it rains a lot.

Is Melaleuca teretifolia Safe?

The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife says that this plant species is "not threatened." This means it's not in danger of disappearing.

Growing Melaleuca teretifolia in Gardens

There's a special type of this plant called "Georgina Molloy" that you can sometimes find in plant nurseries. This version has red flowers, which is different from the usual white ones.

You can grow most Melaleuca plants from seeds. However, if you want to grow the "Georgina Molloy" type, you need to use cuttings (small pieces of the plant) to make sure it keeps its special red flowers. This plant grows best in places with a mild climate and needs soil that drains water well. Georgina Molloy was an early settler and someone who collected plants.

Images for kids

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  Habit near Moore River National Park

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  M. teretifolia flowers

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  M. teretifolia leaves and fruit

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  M. teretifolia bark