Australian Native Plants

  Melaleuca pulchella (Claw Honey-myrtle)


Melaleuca pulchella photo
Melaleuca pulchella, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, Victoria

Photograph by Melburnian. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)



Growth Characteristics information is sourced from: State Flora Catalog, Government of South Australia Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.



CLAW HONEY-MYRTLE FACTS

distribution map showing range of Melaleuca pulchella in Australia

Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License


Common Name
Claw Honey-myrtle

Other Names
Claw Flower

Description
The Claw Honey-myrtle is a spreading shrub growing 2 m tall. The leaves are small and grow 2 mm to 6 mm long and 1 mm to 3 mm wide. The plant flowers in spring and summer from September to February. The flowers are pink or mauve and produced in flower heads about 20 mm in diameter. The outer stamens curve inwards giving the flower a claw shape. The fruit capsules are about 6 mm in diameter.

Habitat
heathland, sandplains, sand dunes, swamps

Distribution
The Claw Honey-myrtle is found in the south coast of Western Australia from Hopetoun to Israelite Bay,

Growth Characteristics
Height (m): 0.5 - 2
Spread (m): 1 - 2
Soil Texture: loam, clay
Soil pH: soils with pH less than 8
Frost Sensitivity: moderately sensitive
Minimum Rainfall (mm): 400
Flower Colour: pink / purple
Flower Season: spring, summer

(source: SA State Flora Catalog)

Classification
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Myrtales
Family:Myrtaceae
Genus:Melaleuca
Species:pulchella
Common Name:Claw Honey-myrtle


Relatives in same Genus
  Melaleuca acuminata
  Melaleuca adnata
  Melaleuca alternifolia
  Melaleuca argentea
  Melaleuca armillaris
  Melaleuca aspalathoides
  Melaleuca barlowii
  Melaleuca blaeriifolia
  Melaleuca bracteata
  Melaleuca brevifolia
  Melaleuca bromelioides
  Melaleuca calothamnoides
  Melaleuca calycina
  Melaleuca campanae
  Melaleuca cardiophylla
  Melaleuca carrii
  Melaleuca coccinea
  Melaleuca concreta
  Melaleuca conothamnoides
  Melaleuca cordata
  Melaleuca cucullata
  see A-Z list for more ...