Melaleuca basicephala

Melaleuca basicephala is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a rarely-seen shrub from the dense freshwater swamps of the wet far south-west corner of the state.

Melaleuca basicephala

Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. basicephala
Binomial name
Melaleuca basicephala

Description

Melaleuca basicephala grows to a height of about 0.9 m (40 in) with glabrous branches. The leaves are in alternating opposite pairs (decussate) and are 8–12.5 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long, 1.8–2.5 mm (0.07–0.1 in) wide, oval or tear-drop shaped and glabrous.[1][2]

The flowers are in heads on the previous year's shoots in groups of two to ten, the heads up to 10 mm (0.4 in) in diameter. The stamens are in five bundles around the flower, each bundle with 17 to 23 pinkish-purple or mauve-pink stamens. Flowering occurs from November to February. The fruits are 3 mm (0.1 in) long.[1][2]

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca basicephala was first formally described in 1867 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis.[3][4] The specific epithet (basicephala) is from the latinised Greek basis meaning "base" and -cephalus meaning "headed" referring "to the inflorescences usually being at the base of lateral shoots."[2]

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs in dense swamps in the Augusta and Northcliffe districts[1] in the Jarrah Forest and Warren biogeographic regions.[5] It grows in black, peaty sand and clay in winter-wet flats and swamps.[6]

Conservation

Melaleuca basicephala is classified as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife[5] meaning that it is rare or near threatened and in need of monitoring.[7]

References
  1. Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 14–15. ISBN 1876334983.
  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. 86. ISBN 9781922137517.
  3. "Melaleuca basicephala". APNI. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  4. Bentham, George. "Flora Australiensis". Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  5. "Melaleuca basicephala". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  6. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 391. ISBN 0646402439.
  7. "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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