Botanical art
Prior names
Melaleuca squamea var. glabra
Melaleuca ottonis
Common names
Scaly-barked Honey-myrtle
Swamp Honey-myrtle
Heath Honey-myrtle
Etymology
Melaleuca, from the Greek 'melas', meaning black and 'leucon', meaning white, alluding to the contrasting colours of the bark of the first species described, which is said to have had white branches against a black trunk. Squamea, from the Latin 'squama,' meaning with scales, scaly, referring to the the scaly bark or fruit.
Distribution and status
Found on Kangaroo Island, Fleurieu Peninsula and the lower South-east in South Australia growing in swamp and heath scrub on wet ground. Also found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Uncommon in New South Wales and Victoria. Common in Tasmania.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Shrub or small tree 6 m high, with corky bark; glabrous except for young shoots with white hairs. Leaves alternate, narrowly ovate, to 8 mm long and 3 mm wide, acuminate-acute and inflexed at the apex; obscurely 3-nerved and punctate-glandular below. Inflorescence a terminal globular head to 15 mm wide, generally wider than long, with 4�9 pink to purple flowers. Flowers in spring. Fruits are grey-brown scaly spherical capsule to 6 mm diameter; truncate, slightly compressed; in globular clusters on leafy or woody stems. Seeds are dark brown ovoid or pyramidal-shaped seed to 1.2 mm long and 0.7 mm wide. Seed embryo type is folded.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between January and December. Collect capsules that are large and hard, with closed valves. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for at least two weeks or until all the valves are open. Then place all the capsules into a bucket with a lid if possible and shake hard to dislodge the seeds from the capsules. Use a sieve to separate the seeds from the capsules. The fine material will contain the seeds and other flowering material. It is very difficult to separate the seeds from this other material as the size, shape and weight are very similar, however the seeds will be a darker brown. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 100%. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA MSB | 41,100 (5.5 g) 41,100 (5.5 g) | 60 | 25-Jan-2005 | MKJ78 Southern Lofty | 31-Mar-2006 | 100% | -18°C |
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.