Melaleuca argentea W.Fitzg.

Species

Angiosperms > Myrtales > Myrtaceae > Melaleuca

Characteristics

A tall spreading tree. It grows 10-20 m high. It spreads to 10-25 m wide. The branches are slender and hang downwards. The leaves are silvery-green. The bark is papery and light grey. It is soft and layered. The leaves are produced alternately. They are silvery and covered with silky hairs when young. The leaves are long and narrow and widest in the middle but tapering to each end. They are 5-14 cm long by 0.6-2 cm wide. There are 3-5 veins along the leaf. The leaves are pointed at the tip. The leaf stalk is hairy and 0.4-1 cm long. The flowers are cream with many stamens. They have a strong scent. Flowers are 1.2-1.5 cm long and stalkless. The form cylinder shaped spikes which can be 5-12 cm long by 2.5-3 cm wide. The spikes occur in clusters of 4 near the end of branches. The fruit are small cup-shaped woody capsules. They do not have stalks and are 0.3 cm across. They are grey-brown when ripe. They have many very small seeds.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 10.0 - 25.0
Mature height (meter) 10.0 - 20.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A tropical plant. It will grow in the subtropics and warm temperate regions. In tropical Queensland it grows from sea level to 400 m altitude. They grow naturally along the banks of freshwater creeks. They are on sandy loam soils. The soil needs to be well drained. They can tolerate occasional flooding. They can tolerate light frosts. It can grow in semi arid areas.
Light -
Soil humidity -
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Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

The leaves are used to flavour meat in cooking.
Uses fuel medicinal
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity light
Germination treatment -
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Images

Melaleuca argentea unspecified picture

Distribution

Melaleuca argentea world distribution map, present in Australia

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:597843-1
WFO ID wfo-0000239412
COL ID 3Z3NS
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Melaleuca argentea