Melaleuca polycephala

Melaleuca polycephala is a shrub in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a sparsely foliaged, twiggy shrub with deep purple flowers in spring.

Melaleuca polycephala
Near Ongerup

Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. polycephala
Binomial name
Melaleuca polycephala
Synonyms[1]
  • Melaleuca serpyllifolia Turcz.
  • Myrtoleucodendron polycephalum (Benth.) Kuntze
Fruit

Description

Melaleuca polycephala is a bushy shrub with tangled branches growing to about 1 m (3 ft) tall and wide. Its leaves are arranged alternately, 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long, 2–4.5 mm (0.08–0.2 in) wide, narrow elliptic or narrow egg-shaped, tapering to a sharp point and with the veins prominent on the upper surface.[2]

The flowers are arranged in heads on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. The heads contain between 3 and 7 groups of flowers in threes and are up to 12 mm (0.5 in) in diameter. The stamens are in five bundles around the flowers, each bundle containing 3 stamens. Flowering is mainly in September and October and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules 2.0–2.8 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long and in roughly spherical clusters.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca polycephala was first formally described in 1867 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis.[4][5] The specific epithet (polycephala) is derived from the Greek words πολύς (polús) meaning “many"[6]: 65  and κεφαλή (kephalḗ) meaning "head"[6]: 194  in reference to the large number of flower heads in examples of this species.[2]

Distribution and habitat

This melaleuca occurs in and between the Gnowangerup, Pingrup and Jerramungup[2] districts in the Esperance Plains and Mallee biogeographic regions.[7] It grows in clay and sandy clay.[8]

Conservation

Melaleuca polycephala is classified as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife[7] meaning that it is known from only a few locations and is not currently in imminent danger.[9]

References
  1. "Melaleuca polycephala". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  2. Brophy, Joseph J.; Craven, Lyndley A.; Doran, John C. (2013). Melaleucas : their botany, essential oils and uses. Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. p. 288. ISBN 9781922137517.
  3. Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 168–169. ISBN 1876334983.
  4. "Melaleuca polycephala". APNI. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  5. Bentham, George (1866). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 3. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. pp. 152–153. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  6. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  7. "Melaleuca polycephala". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  8. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 396. ISBN 0646402439.
  9. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
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