Melaleuca irbyana
| weeping paperbark | |
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| M. irbyana foliage and capsules | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Melaleuca |
| Species: | M. irbyana |
| Binomial name | |
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Melaleuca irbyana R.T.Baker |
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| Synonyms | |
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Melaleuca tamariscina subsp. irbyana (R.T.Baker) Barlow |
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Melaleuca tamariscina subsp. irbyana (R.T.Baker) Barlow
Melaleuca irbyana, commonly known as weeping paperbark, bushhouse paperbark and swamp paperbark is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia. It is a shrub or small tree, often growing in pure stands in poorly drained areas. Its distribution is limited and it has been classified as an endangered species under legislation in both states and the forest as critically endangered under Australian government legislation.
Melaleuca irbyana is a large shrub or small tree with thick, spongy, papery bark, growing to a height of 10 m (30 ft). It has a dense, rounded canopy and fine, weeping foliage. The leaves are stalkless, 2–7 mm (0.08–0.3 in) but usually less than 4 mm (0.2 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) wide, oval or narrowly oval in shape tapering to a point and pressed against the branchlets.
The flowers are white and scented and arranged in spikes at, or near the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering. The spikes are up to 14 mm (0.6 in) in diameter and contain 3 to 12 individual flowers. The petals are 1.5–1.9 mm (0.06–0.07 in) long and fall off as the flower ages. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower, each bundle containing between 6 and 11 stamens. Flowers appear between September and January. The fruit are woody capsules, 3.5–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, shaped like flattened spheres, arranged in loose clusters along the branches. Unlike many other melaleucas, the seeds are not retained in the capsules for more than a year.
Melaleuca irbyana was first formally described in 1912 by Richard Thomas Baker in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. The author noted that "This Melaleuca was discovered by Mr L.G. Irby, Museum Collector when collecting on the Lawrence Road, near Casino, where it is not common, in the swamps in that locality." The specific epithet (irbyana) is "in honour of a forester, L.G. Irby (1883–1964), who collected the type specimen".
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Wikipedia