Melaleuca incana

Melaleuca incana, commonly known as grey honey-myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia and is naturalised in the south of Victoria in Australia. It is commonly grown as a garden plant and produces large numbers of white or creamy yellow flowers, sometimes highly scented, in spring.

Grey honey-myrtle
M. incana growing near Point d'Entrecasteaux.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. incana
Binomial name
Melaleuca incana
Subspecies

Description

Melaleuca incana is a shrub or small tree which grows to a height of about 5 m (20 ft) and has fibrous or flaky bark. The leaves are in threes, sometimes rings of four along the branchlets, 3.5–17 mm (0.1–0.7 in) long and 0.5–3.5 mm (0.02–0.1 in) wide, linear or very narrow elliptic in shape and tapering to a point. The leaves and young branches are covered with fine, soft hairs giving the foliage a grey appearance.[3]

The flowers are arranged in spikes, usually on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. Each spike has between 6 and 55 individual flowers and is up to 30 mm (1 in) long and 15 mm (0.6 in) wide, white, creamy white or yellow. The petals are 0.7–2.0 mm (0.03–0.08 in) long and fall off as the flower ages. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower, each bundle containing between 3 and 11 stamens. Flowering occurs in spring and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules 1.5–4 mm (0.06–0.2 in) long in cylinder-shaped clusters up to 30 mm (1 in) long.[3][4]

M. incana leaves and flowers
M. incana fruit

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 1819 by Robert Brown in Edward's Botanical Register.[5] Edwards called the plant "Grizzly Melaleuca" and noted that the plant was ...first observed by Mr. Brown, in King George the Third's Sound, on the south-west coast of New Holland. ... We were favoured with the specimen, for the drawing, by Lady Aylesford ... We are indebted to Mr. Brown for the specific characters, and all we know concerning the plant.[6] The specific epithet (incana) is from the Latin incanus meaning "quite grey",[7] "in reference to the colour of the leaves".[3]

There are two subspecies differing mainly in the form of the plant, the shape and size of the leaves, their flowering time and in their distribution:

Distribution and habitat

This melaleuca occurs in the south-west of Western Australia and on the south coast as far east as Esperance in the Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographic regions.[10] It grows on swamp edges, in low woodland and heath in peaty soil and sand.[3]

Conservation status

Melaleuca incana is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.[10]

Use in horticulture

This species, especially the nominate subspecies incana is widely cultivated. It is a hardy plant, fast growing, tolerating a range of soils and conditions after initial establishment and is frost hardy. It is widely available in commercial nurseries and tolerates pruning to form a hedge.[11] It is susceptible to scale insect attack.[12]

References
  1. "Melaleuca incana subsp. incana". APNI. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  2. "Melaleuca incana subsp. tenella". APNI. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  3. 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. 203. ISBN 9781922137517.
  4. Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 146–148. ISBN 1876334983.
  5. "Melaleuca incana". APNI. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  6. Brown, Robert (1819). The Botanical Register. London: James Ridgway. p. 410. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  7. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 381.
  8. "Melaleuca incana subsp. incana". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  9. "Melaleuca incana subsp. tenella". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  10. "Melaleuca incana". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  11. "Melaleuca incana". Australian national botanic garden. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  12. "Melaleuca incana". Australian native plant society (Australia). Retrieved 5 April 2015.
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