Melaleuca diosmatifolia

Melaleuca diosmatifolia, commonly known as rosy paperbark and pink honey-myrtle is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. It was formerly known as Melaleuca erubescens but is not closely related to Melaleuca diosmifolia although the species name has the same meaning. It has pointed, non-prickly leaves and cylindrical spikes of pink or purple flowers.

Rosy paperbark
M. diosmatifolia leaves and flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. diosmatifolia
Binomial name
Melaleuca diosmatifolia

Description

Melaleuca diosmatifolia is a shrub with hard, rough grey bark growing to a height of about 1.5 m (5 ft). Its leaves are arranged alternately on the stem, each leaf 3.5–14.5 mm (0.1–0.6 in) long, 0.4–0.9 mm (0.02–0.04 in) wide, almost circular in cross-section and ending with a point. They also have a few distinct oil glands

The pinkish-purple to deep mauve flowers are arranged on a spike up to 40 mm (2 in) long and 20 mm (0.8 in) diameter, usually at the end of branches which continue to grow after the flowering period. Each spike contains between 15 and 50 separate flowers, each flower with five (rarely six) bundles of stamens, each bundle with 15 to 26 stamens. Flowering mainly occurs from November to December but also through to May and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules about 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long.[1][2][3]

M. diosmatifolia leaves and fruit in the ANBG

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca diosmatifolia was first formally described in 1811 by Georges Louis Marie Dumont de Courset in Le Botaniste Cultivateur.[4][5] The specific epithet (diosmatifolia) refers to an apparent similarity of the leaves of this species to those of Diosma.[1]

Distribution and habitat

Melaleuca diosmatifolia occurs on the ranges and western slopes of New South Wales and Queensland from the Darling Downs south to the Temora and Griffith districts and to coastal areas near Sydney. It grows in open forest and in areas subject to flooding.[6]

Use in horticulture

This species is relatively common in cultivation, usually as Melaleuca erubescens and is often used as a screening plant. It is hardy, growing successfully in a wide range of soils, including those that are poorly drained. It is easily cultivated from both seed and cuttings and can be pruned to keep a bushy shape. It has attractive flowers which are reported not to fade as quickly as those of Melaleuca decussata which is also widely cultivated.[7][8]

References
  1. 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. 149. ISBN 9781922137517.
  2. Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 94–95. ISBN 1876334983.
  3. Tindale, a complete revision by R.C. Carolin, M.D. (1994). Flora of the Sydney region (4th ed.). Chatswood, NSW: Reed. pp. 399–400. ISBN 0730104001.
  4. "Melaleuca diosmatifolia". APNI. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  5. Dumont de Courset, George Louis Marie (1811). Le Botaniste Cultivateur (Volume 5) (2 ed.). Paris. p. 373. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  6. Wilson, Peter G. "Melaleuca erubescens". Royal botanic gardens, Sydney:plantnet. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  7. "Melaleuca diosmatifolia". Australian native plant society, Australia. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  8. Wrigley, John W.; Fagg, Murray (1983). Australian native plants : a manual for their propagation, cultivation and use in landscaping (2nd ed.). Sydney: Collins. p. 263. ISBN 0002165759.
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