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MELALEUCA preissiana
Freshwater Paperbark
Family: Myrtaceae
Characteristics: Shurb or tree 2-9 metres
Seed per packet: Small seed several hundred.
Seed per gram: Small seed several thousand.
The family of Myrtaceae arose between 56 and 60 million years ago during the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana.
A shrub or tree 2-9 meters high that produces yellow-cream-white flowers sometime between August and March.
The flowers grow in spikes at the ends of the branches, which continue to develop even after blooming. They can also be found in the upper leaf axils.
The spikes can measure up to 20 mm in diameter and contain between 7 and 21 clusters of flowers, with each cluster comprising three individual flowers.
The petals measure 2.0 to 2.5 mm in length and typically fall off as the flower matures surrounding each flower are five bundles of stamens, with each bundle containing 27 to 36 stamens.
The leaves are arranged alternately and are 6-14 mm long, 0.72.1 mm wide, with flat, narrow elliptic to narrow egg-shaped, with the end tapering to a point.
Grows in sandy soils, swamps and the edge of waterways.
It occurs naturally in the Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Swan Coastal Plain, and Warren in Western Australia.
* Image by Kevin Thiele CC BY 2.0
In 1767, Carl Linnaeus was the first one to use the name Melaleuca, which we still call it today. This name also refers to the Baeckea, Kunzea, and Leptospermum species during Captain James Cook's maiden voyage to Australia, sailors used the leaves from these different shrubs as an alternative for tea.
Melaleuca preissiana was first formally described by Johannes Conrad Schauer in Johann Georg Christian Lehmann's 1844 Plantae Preissianae from a specimen collected by James Drummond
Propagation is easy from seed.
Melaleuca seed is generally best sown in spring or autumn avoid the coldest and hottest months of the year.
If growing in containers:
Sow on surface of the growing mix.
- Press lightly into surface. Do not bury the seed.
- Water with a mist spray to avoid dislodging the seed.
- Place the container in warm shaded or semi-shaded position
- Keep warm & moist, avoid drying out or waterlogging the growing mix.
- Transplant seedlings into well-drained soil in a sunny position once they large enough to handle.
Germination generally occurs in around 14-28 days at 18-22°C
Sow directly for re-vegetation projects.
* Please note:
- Please do not be too hasty to discard seeds that do not germinate; seeds will often lie dormant until the conditions are like their natural germination requirements.
- As with all seeds, they must have adequate water to germinate, keep them moist, but not too wet.
- These growth notes are provided as guidance only and do not guarantee successful germination.
- The customer should do their due diligence to ensure they are suited to their region.
Importing to Tasmania Prohibited