Melaleuca thapsina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Melaleuca thapsina |
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| Melaleuca thapsina leaves and flowers | |
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Melaleuca
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| Species: |
thapsina
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Melaleuca thapsina is a special plant that belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. It's a type of plant that only grows naturally in one place: the south-west part of Western Australia. This means it's endemic there, like a unique treasure!
This plant is a prickly shrub, which is a bushy plant that doesn't grow into a tall tree. It has bark that feels like paper or tough fibers. When it blooms, you'll see pretty yellow to cream-colored flowers. After the flowers, it grows fruit that look like small, round capsules packed tightly together.
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What Does Melaleuca thapsina Look Like?
This Melaleuca plant is a shrub that can grow up to about 4 meters (13 feet) tall. It has bark that can be papery or fibrous, which means it might peel off in layers or feel stringy.
Its leaves are arranged one after another along the stem. They are long and thin, like needles, measuring about 11 to 56 millimeters (0.4 to 2.2 inches) long. They are almost round when you look at them from the side, and their tips are sharp and pointy.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of Melaleuca thapsina are usually cream-colored or bright yellow. They grow in round clusters at the ends of the branches. Even after the flowers bloom, the branches keep growing! Sometimes, flowers also appear where the leaves meet the stem.
Each flower cluster can be up to 18 millimeters (about 0.7 inches) across. Inside, there are groups of three tiny flowers. The petals are small, about 1 to 2.2 millimeters long, and they fall off as the flower gets older. The part of the flower that holds the seeds (called the floral cup) is a bit hairy. Each flower has five groups of stamens, which are the parts that make pollen.
This plant mostly flowers in spring. After the flowers fade, they turn into woody capsules. These capsules are like small seed pods, about 2 to 2.5 millimeters (0.08 to 0.1 inches) long. They are packed very closely together in round or oblong shapes, forming a tight cluster of fruit.
How Was Melaleuca thapsina Named?
The plant Melaleuca thapsina was officially described for the first time in 1999. This was done by a scientist named Lyndley Craven. He wrote about it in a scientific journal called Australian Systematic Botany. The plant he studied was found about 110 kilometers (68 miles) north-east of Lake King.
The second part of its scientific name, thapsina, comes from an Ancient Greek word, thapsinos. This word means "yellow," and it was chosen because of the bright yellow color of the plant's flowers.
Where Does Melaleuca thapsina Grow?
You can find this special Melaleuca plant in several areas of Western Australia. It grows in districts like Lake King, Norseman, Ravensthorpe, and Esperance. These areas are part of larger natural regions known as the Coolgardie, Esperance Plains, and Mallee biogeographic regions.
Melaleuca thapsina is quite adaptable. It can grow in different types of environments, whether the soil is sandy or made of clay. It's often found in various plant communities, meaning it grows alongside many other kinds of plants.
Is Melaleuca thapsina Protected?
Good news! The Government of Western Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife has listed Melaleuca thapsina as "not threatened." This means that, for now, there are enough of these plants in the wild, and they are not considered to be in danger of disappearing.
