Melaleuca flammea
(prev Callistemon acuminatus)
Tapering-leaved Bottlebrush
(prev Callistemon acuminatus)
Tapering-leaved Bottlebrush
Overview:
Melaleuca flammea, commonly known as tapering-leaved bottlebrush, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to NSW and Queensland in Australia
The Australian Plant Census and some Australian state herbaria continue to use the name Callistemon acuminatus
It is a shrub with broad, lance-shaped leaves which have wavy edges and taper gradually to a fine point
In spring it has typical bottlebrush flowers whose fiery colour gives the species its name
Common name: Tapering-leaved Bottlebrush
Conservation status: Rare
Melaleuca flammea, as Callistemon acuminatus, is a classified in NSW as a "Rare or Threatened Australian Plant"
Etymology:
Melaleuca is derived from the Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas) meaning "dark" or "black" and λευκός (leukós) meaning "white"
The specific epithet (flammea) is from the Latin flammeus meaning “fiery” or "fiery-red", referring to the fiery colour of the stamens
Flowers
The flowers are deep red to crimson and arranged in spikes on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering
The spikes are up to 70 mm in diameter with 25 to 120 individual flowers
The petals are 3–5.4 mm long and fall off as the flower ages
There are 20 to 32 bright red stamens in each flower
Flowering occurs mainly in spring but often at other times of the year
Fruit:
A woody capsules, 3.9–5.5 mm long
Leaves:
Its leaves are arranged alternately and are 36–151 mm long, 6–31 mm wide, broad to narrow lance-shaped and gradually taper to a fine point
They are also distinguished by their broad v-shape, wavy margin with scattered fine teeth and 12 to 33 distinct lateral veins
Stem & branches:
Roots:
Habit:
A shrub growing to 1–5 m tall with hard, fibrous bark
Habitat:
It usually grows in woodland or forest on dry, rocky hilltops
Distribution:
Near Nambour in Queensland and in coastal areas of NSW from Port Stephens to the Clarence River district
Additional notes:
Taxonomy
Melaleuca flammea was first named in 2006 by Lyndley Craven in Novon
It had first been formally described as Callistemon acuminatus by Edwin Cheel in 1911 in Illustrations of NSW from a specimen collected "on slopes of rocky mountains, Crawford River, 10km from Bullahdelah"
The Australian Plant Census accepts the name Callistemon acuminatus but it is regarded as a synonym of Melaleuca flammea by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Use in horticulture
Although not common in cultivation, this species is hardy, frost and drought tolerant and its distinctive leaves and large, brightly coloured flowers give it horticultural potential
Sources of information: