Australian Native Plants

  Melaleuca halmaturorum (South Australian Swamp Paperbark)


Melaleuca halmaturorum photo
Melaleuca halmaturorum leaves, flowers, fruits

Photograph by Geoff Derrin. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Melaleuca halmaturorum photo
Melaleuca halmaturorum growing near a salt lake, 5km S of Hyden

Photograph by Geoff Derrin. 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.



PLANT FACTS

distribution map showing range of Melaleuca halmaturorum in Australia

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


Common Name
South Australian Swamp Paperbark

Other Names
Kangaroo Honey-myrtle, Salt Paper-Bark, Blistered Paper-Bark

Description
The South Australian Swamp Paperbark is a shrub or tree growing to 8 m tall. It is slow growing and older plants often have an irregular crooked appearance. The bark is pale grey and papery. The leaves are narrow and grow 3 mm to 9 mm long and about 1 mm to 2 mm wide. The plant flowers in late winter and spring from August to October. The flowers are white or cream and produced in flower heads about 15 mm in diameter. The fruit capsules are about 5 mm in diameter.

Habitat
swamps, waterlogged areas estuaries, coastal dunes

Distribution
Melaleuca halmaturorum is found in southern parts of Western Australia, South Australia and western Victoria.

Growth Characteristics
Height (m): 2 - 6
Spread (m): 2 - 6
Soil Texture: sand, loam, clay, limestone
Soil pH: acid soils, neutral soils, alkaliine soils
Frost Sensitivity: moderately sensitive
Minimum Rainfall (mm): 350
Flower Colour: white
Flower Season: spring, summer

(source: SA State Flora Catalog)



Classification
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Myrtales
Family:Myrtaceae
Genus:Melaleuca
Species:halmaturorum
Common Name:South Australian Swamp Paperbark


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 ...