Melaleuca polandii
Gold-tipped Bottlebrush
(Callistemon polandii)
Gold-tipped Bottlebrush
(Callistemon polandii)
Common name: Gold-tipped Bottlebrush
Conservation status: ...
Etymology:
Melaleuca is derived from the Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas) meaning "dark" or "black" and λευκός (leukós) meaning "white"
The specific epithet (polandii) honours Wilhelm Poland, a missionary at Wujal Wujal (formerly the Bloomfield River Mission)
Flowers
The flowers are bright red and are arranged in spikes on the ends of branches that continue to grow after flowering and sometimes in the upper leaf axils
The spikes are 50–60 mm in diameter
The petals are 3.6–5.3 mm long, fall off as the flower ages and there are 35-50 stamens in each flower
Flowering occurs from late winter to summer, sometimes in other months
Fruit:
Woody capsules, 4.6–6.5 mm long
Leaves:
Its leaves are arranged alternately and are 63–129 mm long, 16–35 mm wide
They are flat, narrow egg-shaped and tapering to a point
They have a distinct mid-vein and 19 to 25 lateral veins
The young leaves are covered with fine, silky hairs
Stem & branches:
The young branches are covered with fine, silky hairs
Roots:
Habit:
A shrub growing to 4 m high
Habitat:
Dense wallum heath in sandy or peaty soil
Distribution:
Endemic a small area in far northern Queensland
In the Cape Flattery and Cooktown districts of Queensland
Additional notes:
Taxonomy and naming
Melaleuca polandii was first named in 2006 by Lyndley Craven in Novon when Callistemon polandii was transferred to the present genus.
Callistemon polandii was first formally described in 1902 by Frederick Manson Bailey from a specimen collected in "Bloomfield River [by] Rev. W. Poland"
Callistemon polandii is regarded as a synonym of Melaleuca polandii by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Use in horticulture
Melaleuca polandii is a hardy shrub, suitable for warm coastal areas
It is useful as a screen or hedge but is known to damage wastewater pipes
Sources of information: