Melaleuca 
M. cajuputi 
M. acacioides M. dealbata 
Fig. 54 
clonal stems less than 30 cm high; bark often grey or 
brownish, papery but not flaky. Young leaves sericeous 
or mealy with short stiff hairs with a few long ones 
intermixed, soon becoming glabrous. Petioles 4-11 
mm long. Leaf blades stiff, oblanceolate or narrowly 
elliptic, mucronate, 42-95 mm long, 7-31 mm wide, 
L/B 3-9. Inflorescence a + dense spike, densely 
pubescent throughout excluding the petals, 22-100 
mm long. Hypanthium 2.5-2.8 mm long. Sepals 
triangular, hardly differentiated from the hypanthium, 
c. 1 mm long. Petals orbicular or obovate, 2-2.2 mm 
long. Stamens green, cream (also red in Qld), 3-6 
per bundle, the filaments often divided almost to the 
base, bundles 14-23 mm long. Fruit 3.5-4 mm long, 
3.5-4 mm wide. Flowering: May - Sept; fruiting: June 
- Oct. Fig. 54 
New Guinea and northern Australia. A common 
species from Darwin to the Alligator Rivers region 
\ M. viridiflora 
M. leucadendra M. nervosa 
forming pure stands on sandy flats overlying 
impervious clay or coffee rock. 
M. viridiflora Sol. ex Gaertn. 
Tree 2-16 m; bark white, papery. Young leaves 
sericeous soon becoming glabrescent and green 
except in arid habitats where the foliage remains 
silvery throughout. Petioles 8-15 mm long. Leaf 
blades thick, strongly veined, elliptic or narrowly el- 
liptic, (55)95-170 mm long, (7)22-50 mm wide; 
L/B 2.4-5.7(9); acute. Inflorescence a dense spike, 
60-70(100) mm long; glabrous throughout or more 
usually the rachis, hypanthium and sepal bases 
sericeous. Hypanthium 1.5-3 mm_ long. Sepals 
semicircular, 1-2 mm long with a broad hyaline 
margin. Petals obovate to orbicular, concave, 4-5 mm 
long with several linear glands between the nerves. 
