Identification from leaf

[Pup]

Because of my love of the Melaleuca species. I often get asked on the forum, and by PM to try to identify Melaleuca's from a picture of a leaf.

I will always try my best to help, but to be positive is almost impossible. As there are well over the 200 mark of different species. So when I do try, most times I will say probably, like I do with most identifications. That way I can be corrected without being upset, or upsetting the person who has other ideas.

Just as an exercise. No senseijames you cannot answer. I will post two leaf types to see if they can be identified. Just for fun as this is what Bonsai should be about.

Cheers Pup

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P1100076.JPG

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Now lets see how we go.

[Ryan1979b]

Wow...how do you successfully dig there up. Very Impressive, i'm keen to see the progress on this one Pup. As Always I love watching your Progression with you trees.

Cheers
Ryan

[Jamie]

gday pup, great topic, i get the feeling the first is mel. quinquinervia and the second possibly Melaleuca linarifolia???

im not very great with mel, so i may be completedly wrong?

jamie

[kvan64]

Here is my guess:
The first one is either Melaleuca ericifolia or Melaleuca Brevifolia
The second one is Melaleuca nervosa
I've been into Melaleucas recently but not very good so I could be completely wrong too.
Cheers,
DK

[Pup]

Both wrong

[banksia]

I'm pretty sure I know (as I've seen these in the bark..so to speak), but won't answer.
Great idea Pup....educate the masses

Cheers!
Anthony

[MattA]

Pup,

It is an interesting exercise but without knowing where these were collected & if they were wild or garden stock I wouldnt even want to try and ID them. Knowing where something originated and in the case of garden stock approx how old it is can narrow the field considerably especially with a genus like Melaleuca which as you say has well over 200 species, let alone the miriad hybrids that are around these days and have been for many years.

As an example, I was trying to ID a variety of Chamaecyparis that I had collected from a garden with the help of a friend, when the rest of the garden contents was taken into consideration it was easy to put an approx date on planting on this tree and hence with his experience in the nursery trade around the same time as this was planted it became very easy to give a positive ID.

Matt

[kcpoole]

Absolutely no Idea
but plant identificaion is not my strong point either.

Will be waiting for the answer Pup
Kne

[Pup]

Pup,

It is an interesting exercise but without knowing where these were collected & if they were wild or garden stock I wouldnt even want to try and ID them. Knowing where something originated and in the case of garden stock approx how old it is can narrow the field considerably especially with a genus like Melaleuca which as you say has well over 200 species, let alone the miriad hybrids that are around these days and have been for many years.

As an example, I was trying to ID a variety of Chamaecyparis that I had collected from a garden with the help of a friend, when the rest of the garden contents was taken into consideration it was easy to put an approx date on planting on this tree and hence with his experience in the nursery trade around the same time as this was planted it became very easy to give a positive ID.

Matt

As 80 percent of the Melaleuca species originate it WA its a safe bet to say they are Western Australian. Being mine there is a 90 percent chance they are collected. Age is not known. As with most unless you grew it from seed even nursery stock is iffy.
Does that help?.
Cheers Pup

[Jamie]

pup, to help with the ID can you please tell us if the leaves are alternate, etc. and a bit of detail as the first one is rather dense it is hard to tell.

do they flower along old wood?

jamie

[MattA]

As 80 percent of the Melaleuca species originate it WA its a safe bet to say they are Western Australian. Being mine there is a 90 percent chance they are collected. Age is not known. As with most unless you grew it from seed even nursery stock is iffy.
Does that help?.
Cheers Pup

Pup,

Sorry if you took offence, was not my intent. Was just highlighting some of the many variables that need to be taken into consideration and included when asking for an identification, which I think is what you are also trying to get across. I had not made the assumption that these 2 trees were part of your collection tho probably should have.

I agree that knowing the exact age of something is not possible unless grown from seed. It is almost impossible to be completely accurate with aging a wild collected tree even by counting the growth rings especially in our country where some years there would be no or only one growth cycle due to climatic conditions and in other years a tree may experience several growth cycles. As for putting an age on a garden specimen it is still not an exact possibility unless, again it was raised from seed or had a stated age (such as grafted fruit trees & roses do) and a known date of planting, however an approximation can be made by taking the entire gardens contents into consideration, as was the case with my Chamaecyparis.

Matt

[Jamie]

i reckon one might be Mel. alternifolia

[Pup]

G,day Matt, that is what the exercise is aimed at.
If I came across too strong I apologize, as you and I have pointed out, by leaf is very hard. As this exercise is proving.
I also have this with a chamaecyparis.
I took cuttings from one some of the young ones have developed differently from the parent some have remained true.

Jamie the leaves are alternate, also the one you say is dense, is as the books say a linear leaf, they do not flower on old wood. They do bud back on old wood.

Cheers Pup

[MattA]

Its all cool Pup, We are both coming at the same points but from different ends is all. I had forgotten a very important aspect that you mentioned in your last post. That of flowering (for plants that do) timing, form, colour, how and where the flowers are held on a plant can have a major influence on getting an ID right. With one of my Hibbertia species, there were 3 possibles that matched the leaf & growth habit but only one holds the flowers along the stem, of the other 2, one has multiple buds from a single stalk and with the other blooms are located at the tips of the growth.

I would be interested to see the variations in the cuttings that have come from a single parent plant, are there any other factors that could explain them?

Matt

[senseijames]

Just as an exercise. No senseijames you cannot answer. I will post two leaf types to see if they can be identified. Just for fun as this is what Bonsai should be about.

oohhhaaaaaa
James