Melaleuca vinnula facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melaleuca vinnula
M. vinnula leaves, flowers and fruit
Scientific classification
Genus:	Melaleuca
Species:	vinnula

Melaleuca vinnula is a special plant. It belongs to the myrtle family. This plant grows only in the south-west part of Western Australia. It is a type of shrub. It has thin leaves and pretty white or yellow flowers. After the flowers, it grows tight bunches of fruit. You can find it in the Wheatbelt area. Scientists recently gave this plant its name.

What Melaleuca vinnula Looks Like

Melaleuca vinnula is a shrub with many stems. It can grow up to about 2.5 metres (8 feet) tall. Its bark is grey and peels off easily.

Leaves and Flowers

The leaves of this plant are long and narrow. They can be from 9 to 50 millimetres (0.4 to 2 inches) long. They are also about 1 to 3 millimetres (0.04 to 0.1 inches) wide. Each leaf has a short stem.

Flowers appear on the ends of the branches. This usually happens in November and December. Each flower head has 6 to 16 groups of flowers. Each group has three flowers. The stamens, which are the parts that hold pollen, are white or yellow. They are grouped in five bundles around the flower. Each bundle has five to seven stamens.

Fruit

After the flowers, the plant grows capsules. These are like small seed pods. They grow in tight groups around the stem. They press together so closely that they look like one big fruit.

M. vinnula growing on Mount Matilda near Wongan Hills

How Melaleuca vinnula Got Its Name

Scientists officially described this plant in 2004. Lyndley Craven and Brendan Lepschi were the ones who named it. They published their findings in a science journal called Australian Systematic Botany. They were studying a group of plants known as Melaleuca uncinata.

The second part of its name, vinnula, comes from a Latin word. It means "delightful" or "sweet." This name was chosen because of how lovely the plant looks.

Where Melaleuca vinnula Grows

You can find Melaleuca vinnula in Western Australia. It grows in the area between Coorow and Southern Cross. This region includes the Avon Wheatbelt and Coolgardie areas.

The plant likes to grow in sandy or clay soils. It also grows in loam, which is a mix of sand, silt, and clay, often found on granite. You can often see it on rocky hills, gentle slopes, and along the sides of roads.

Protecting Melaleuca vinnula

The Western Australian Government's Department of Parks and Wildlife has looked at Melaleuca vinnula. They have decided that this plant is "not threatened." This means it is not in danger of disappearing.