Municipalities

Scientific Name

Melaleuca squarrosa

Family Name

MYRTACEAE

Common Name

Scented Paper-bark.

Status

Height

1.0m - 6.0m (100-600cm)

Flowers

Small bottlebrush-like flowers which are usually pale yellow.

Fruit

Woody capsule

Form

An erect shrub

Municipalities

Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Coast; Central Highlands; Circular Head; Derwent Valley; Devonport; Dorset; Flinders Island; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Huon Valley; Kentish; King Island; Kingborough; Latrobe; Launceston; Meander Valley; Northern Midlands; Tasman; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast; West Tamar

Communities

Heath; Riparian; Wet Eucalypt Forest

Habitat Notes

Common in shallow gullies and damp areas in heathlands and forests.Widespread and abundant in damp sandy soil.

Site Tolerance

Exposed; Moist; Shady; Windy

Frost Tolerance

Soil Tolerance

Poorly-drained; Sandy

General Notes

Resistant to Phytophthora cinnamomi. Susceptible to browsing by possums and wallabies. A good street tree and screen and hedging plant. Will shoot back from a woody root stock after coppicing. Not suitable below powerlines.

Propagation Details

Propagation Calendar

Flowering Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Collecting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sowing Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Cutting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Information

Seed Collection

Any time, collect older capsules. harvest branches with capsules & air or kiln dry. avoid collecting when in bloom or immediately after as stamens contaminate seed. seed looks like ground pepper

Seed Treatment Method

Standard

Seed Storage Life

Long

Viable Seeds Per Gram

up to 30000

Seed Treatment Notes

Keep very damp after sowing. Seed gives good germination. If no growth is evident 2 weeks after germination soluble fertilizer may be used. Bog method is very successful.

Germination Time

10-30 days

Suitable for Direct Seeding

Yes

Cuttings

Expected Time to Take Root

Expected Time to Plant Out

Propagation by Division N.B. Transplant only from nearby to avoid disease.

Yes

Cutting Notes

May be propagated from cuttings