| Tasmania has six native species of Melaleuca. Most species form dense
thickets, and all have papery bark (especially M. ericifolia).
It is similar to Callistemon in
having flowers in spikes and clusters of sessile woody fruit. The key
feature of Melaleuca is the stamens, which are in clusters,
rather than all free. Two species have opposite leaves: M. gibbosa, which is a
small, purple flowered shrub usually growing near the coast; and M.
squarrosa, which is a yellow or white flowered tree or shrub
that is very common in sedgelands. It can also grow as a tree up to
10 m tall.
Four species have alternate leaves. M. squamea is a
medium to large shrub purple flowers and acute or acuminate leaf
apices. It is very common in sedgeland. M. ericifolia is a
large shrub or small tree with almost cylindrical leaves about 12mm
long. It is most common in swampy ground along the west and north
coasts. M. pustulata is similar in habit to M. ericifolia,
but has shorter, flatter leaves with prominent glands. Its habitat
is different - it forms thickets on dry ground near the east coast.
Melaleuca armillaris is a large shrub found on the islands of
northern Bass Strait, and also cultivated in many places.
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