Melaleuca villosisepala facts for kids

Melaleuca villosisepala is a type of shrub that belongs to the myrtle family, called Myrtaceae. It grows only in the south-west part of Western Australia. This means it is "endemic" to that area.

This shrub has narrow leaves. It produces pretty pink or mauve (light purple) flowers. These flowers later fade to white. It looks a bit like another plant called Melaleuca wonganensis. However, Melaleuca villosisepala has smaller, pinker flowers instead of deep purple ones.

What it Looks Like

This plant is a shrub that grows from about 0.2 to 1.3 meters (about 0.7 to 4.3 feet) tall. Its leaves grow one after another along the stem. They are narrow and shaped like lines or long ovals. The leaves are about 3 to 15 millimeters (0.1 to 0.6 inches) long. They are also about 0.5 to 1.5 millimeters (0.02 to 0.06 inches) wide. When the leaves are young, they feel soft and hairy. But as they get older, they become smooth and lose their hair.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers of Melaleuca villosisepala grow in round groups. These groups are about 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) across. They are found near the ends of the branches. Each group has one to six smaller clusters of flowers. Each cluster contains three individual flowers.

The base of each flower is hairy. It is about 1.5 to 3 millimeters (0.06 to 0.1 inches) long. The flowers have five bundles of stamens. Stamens are the parts of a flower that make pollen. Each bundle has 5 to 9 stamens. The flowers are pink or mauve. They slowly turn white as they get older. You can see these flowers from September to February. After the flowers, the plant produces small fruits. These fruits are about 2.5 to 4.5 millimeters (0.1 to 0.2 inches) long.

How it Got its Name

The plant Melaleuca villosisepala was first officially described in 1999. This was done by a scientist named Lyndley Craven. He wrote about it in a science journal called Australian Systematic Botany.

The second part of its name, villosisepala, comes from two old words. "Villosus" is a Latin word meaning "hairy." "Sepalum" is a New Latin word for "sepal." Sepals are the small, leaf-like parts that protect a flower bud. So, the name villosisepala means "hairy sepals." This refers to the hairy parts at the base of the flower.

Where it Grows

This type of melaleuca plant is found in a specific area of Western Australia. It grows from the Southern Cross and Coolgardie areas. It stretches south to the Stirling Range and Ravensthorpe areas. This region is part of the Esperance Plains biogeographical zone.

It likes to grow in red-brown clay-loam soil. You can often find it growing along roadsides. This is where some of the original plant life still remains.

Conservation Status

The Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife keeps track of plants. They have looked at Melaleuca villosisepala. They have classified it as "not threatened." This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.