Melaleuca trichostachya

[Ash]

Melaleuca trichostachya.jpg

This rather unconventionally shaped local native Melaleuca trichostachya was used in a Society for Growing Australian Plants bonsai demonstration in the early ninetees. The demo was to show the creation of bonsai using standard nursery native material and also to explore different shapes for native trees that did not wire well. It was quite enjoyable to watch. The plant was donated by a local nursery. It was then grown in a standard plastic pot for the following years and when became part of my collection in 05 I began to reduce its rootmass and style the foliage. It is now 90 cm tall and has been in this bonsai container for about four years. It is very similar in appearance to Melaleuca linariifolia and if it did not have a label stating otherwise I would not have followed up to confirm its identification. It does not sprout quite so favourably from old wood as M. linariifolia, has larger leaves arranged in threes, and tends to grow upright at the tips. The leaves have a distinct perfume when they are crushed. Fire from a small blow torch has been used on the paperbark to give it a fire swept appearance. They grow on sandy river beds (like the upper Burdekin) in the dry tropics and although they are underwater when the river is in flood they can be fireswept in the dry.

cheers
Ash

[Pup]

G,day Ash, this is one fine example, of our Bush they are very similar to linarifolia, the seed pod is what is the difference , although you say it has a distinct aroma on the leaves, which I have not noticed on linarifolia. I do have a Melaleuca that has a very strong perfume to the leaves.

It features in the banner at the top it is the first tree. The name has lead to a lot of conjecture. It was collected from a local swamp, which is why I preclude it from being any of the Melaleucas from the eastern States.

As I said I like this tree a lot thank you for sharing.

Cheers Pup

[GavinG]

Very fine.

Gavin

[craigw60]

Lovely tree Ash
Craigw

[Kunzea]

Hi Ash
That is one beautiful tree. The fine definition of branch clusters is very well done, as is the overall demeanor of the tree.

I did a bit of checking on the name M. trichostachya. It was originally described by Lindley in 1848 from material obtained on Mitchell's expedition to northern Australia. Bentham, in his monumental Flora Australiensis, placed it as a variety under M linariifolia (so not surprising that you should see so many similarities. The Flora of Southeast Queensland (1986) also recognised it as a variety of linariifolia, noting that it occurrs along drainage lines and flowers at the same time as variety linariifolia. However, Craven and Lepschi (1999) in an 'Enumeration' of Melaleucas, take us back to Lindleys name, thus treating it as a species in its own right. The latter two are the most recent workers to look at the whole genus in great depth, so maybe they are in the best place to make the judgement call. Clearly there is simlarity between the two species and it can be difficult to distinguish them. The Flora of SEQ gives the following key to separate the 'varieties':
- Staminal claws usually more than 8mm long; fruits usualy cylindrical, valves included... M lin. var linariifolia
- Staminal claws usually less than 8 mm long; fruits usually turbinate, valves exserted... M lin. var trichostachya.
The language is a bit techo, but if you don't understand and want a translation, just let me know.

C & L indicate that M t occurs in the NT, SA and Qld.

Well that's enough of names trivia for tonight!

Cheers
K

[Fish]

Wow, that was interesting Kunzea, where in the world did you find all that information.

[Ash]

Thanks for your positive comments guys. I am not ever sure which way the comments will go when I post a pic of a tree like this one that has a relatively slender trunk and does not have an acute triangular crown with horizontal branches. As it is styled I very much like it. Its main drawback is a paucity of back branches which I am working to encourage. I am still (and always will be) working on the small branch clusters because I am trying to avoid having one consolidated tuft or mass of of foliage at the top. I have left the couple of aerial roots on because surprisingly they have some in the wild! They emerge and run down through the layers of papery bark. Maybe because it is so wet in the wet season.

Pup the tree you refer to is lovely- the best part is you don't really need to know its name to enjoy it!

Thankyou for the history of the name Kunzea- I have followed Craven and Lepschi on this one. When it next flowers I will post a pic of the flowers and fruits. Five years ago I checked Qld herbrecs for the name used for local populations and found M. tri., M. lin. & M. lin. var. tri. determinations had all been used on the BRI material!

cheers
Ash

P.S. I just checked Qld herbrecs again and trichostachya has been used for the more tropical populations and linariifolia for the more southern.

[Jester]

Does anyone know if Melaleuca trichostachya has a common name??

[Craig]

Ash, I missed this tree when you posted it, What an absolutely stunning Melaleuca , I'd love to see a current pic if you have one mate , congrats

[Ash]

Thanks for the compliment Craig, I will endeavour to take a new picture and post an update. At present I have allowed two branches at the back of this tree to grow longer to thicken them. So at the moment the profile of the back branches is not refined for display. cheers Ash

[Craig]

No problem Ash, i'll look forward to when you post it, Cheers mate