Melaleuca depressa

Melaleuca depressa is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, bushy shrub with clusters of yellow or cream flowers on the ends of its branches in spring.

Melaleuca depressa
M. depressa growing near Geraldton
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species:
M. depressa
Binomial name
Melaleuca depressa

Description

Melaleuca depressa usually grows to a height of about 0.5 m (2 ft) but in some situations to 2 m (7 ft). Its leaves are arranged alternately, are 6.4–12.5 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long and 1.4–5.5 mm (0.06–0.2 in) wide, oval to elliptic or narrowly so. The leaf stalk is very short and the end is pointed but not sharp.

The flower are a shade of cream to yellow and are arranged in heads on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering, or sometimes in the upper leaf axils. Each head has between 2 and 6 groups of flowers in threes. The petals are 2.5–3.0 mm (0.1–0.1 in) long and fall off as the flower opens. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower, each bundle containing 9 to 13 stamens. Flowering occurs from July to November but mainly from September and the fruit which follow flowering are woody capsules 3–4.5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long with part of the sepals remaining as teeth.[1][2]

M. depressa foliage and flowers
M. depressa fruit
M. depressa bark

Taxonomy and naming

Melaleuca depressa was first formally described in 1904 by Ludwig Diels in Botanische jahrbucher fur systematik, pflanzengeschichte und pflanzengeographie under the heading Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae occidentalis:Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Pflanzen Westaustraliens, ihrer Verbreitung und ihrer Lebensverhaltnisse ("Contributions to the knowledge of the plants of West Australia, where they are found and their conditions of existence").[3][4] The specific epithet (depressa) is from the Latin depressus meaning "flattened from above, somewhat sunken at the centre", although it is not clear why Diels chose this epithet.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Melaleuca depressa occurs in the Geraldton and Northampton districts[2] in the Avon Wheatbelt and Geraldton Sandplains biogeographic regions.[5] It grows in sandy soils over sandstone and limestone.[6]

Conservation status

This species is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.[5]

References
  1. Holliday, Ivan (2004). Melaleucas : a field and garden guide (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 92–93. ISBN 1876334983.
  2. 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. 147. ISBN 9781922137517.
  3. "Melaleuca depressa". APNI. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  4. Diels, Ludwig; Pritzel, Ernst Georg (1905). Botanische jahrbucher fur systematik, pflanzengeschichte und pflanzengeographie. Leipzig. p. 428. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  5. "Melaleuca depressa". 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. 393. ISBN 0646402439.
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