Melaleuca nanophylla

Melaleuca nanophylla, commonly known as dwarf-leaved honey-myrtle is a rare plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to two small areas, one in Western Australia and the other in South Australia. It has tiny leaves with their upper surfaces pressed against the stems and small heads of white or pale yellow flowers.

Dwarf-leaved honey-myrtle

Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. nanophylla
Binomial name
Melaleuca nanophylla

Description

Melaleuca nanophylla is a shrub or small tree growing to about 5–6 m (20–20 ft) high with glabrous foliage and rough or papery bark. The leaves are arranged alternately, 0.8–2.6 mm (0.03–0.1 in) long, 0.6–1.2 mm (0.02–0.05 in) wide, broad oval in shape with a short, blunt point.[1]

The flowers are white to creamy yellow and are arranged in small heads between the leaves. The heads are up to 10 mm (0.4 in) in diameter and contain between 1 and 9 groups of flowers, usually in threes. The petals are 1.4–1.7 mm (0.06–0.07 in) long and the stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flowers with 6 to 12 stamens in each bundle. The main flowering season is in early spring and is followed by fruit which are woody, cup-shaped capsules, 2–2.3 mm (0.08–0.09 in) long.[1][2]

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 1979 by John Carrick in Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens[3] from a specimen collected about 35 kilometres (20 mi) west of Emu. The specific epithet (nanophylla) is from the Ancient Greek words nânos meaning “dwarf”[4]:545 and phýllon for “leaf”[4]:466 referring to the small leaves of this melaleuca.[1]

Distribution and habitat

Melaleuca nanophylla occurs in the Emu district in South Australia. In Western Australia it is found in the Van Linden Lakes[1] area in the Gibson Desert biogeographic region.[5][6] It grows near clay pans, in soils containing gypsum or chalk and in sandy clay.[1]

Conservation

Melaleuca nanophylla is listed as a "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife[5][7] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.[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. 248. ISBN 9781922137517.
  2. Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. p. 192. ISBN 1876334983.
  3. "Melaleuca nanophylla". APNI. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  4. Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  5. "Melaleuca nanophylla". 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. 395. ISBN 0646402439.
  7. Briggs, John D.; Leigh, John (1996). Rare or threatened Australian plants. CSIRO. ISBN 0643057986. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  8. "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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