Melaleuca parvistaminea

Small-flowered Honey-myrtle at Pine Island to Point Hut

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Identification history

Melaleuca parvistaminea	7 Nov 2014	BettyDonWood
Melaleuca parvistaminea	6 Nov 2014	MichaelBedingfield
Callistemon sieberi	5 Nov 2014	MichaelMulvaney
Unidentified	31 Oct 2014	MichaelBedingfield

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User's notes

It appears to have been planted, one of several.

10 comments

MichaelMulvaney wrote:

5 Nov 2014

Michael on the basis of the yellow flower, leaves less than 5mm wide and 5cm long - I think that this is Callistemon sieberi

MichaelBedingfield wrote:

5 Nov 2014

Hi Michael. I have recorded the Callistemon sieberi several times on the CNM, and the leaves are not curved like this one. It looks quite different, maybe something else?

galah681 wrote:

6 Nov 2014

Leaves are completely different on C. sieberi, nothing like this photo. It looks very like some shrubs growing at Tidbinbilla that I thought might be a melaleuca - possibly parvistaminea

MichaelBedingfield wrote:

6 Nov 2014

Hi. Thanks Galah681. Michael, I have created Melaleuca parvistaminea as a new species, and suggested a new name for the sighting. Can you please check it? In Don and Betty's books it is presented as native to Australia, but not native to ACT. Should it be treated as an exotic?

BettyDonWood wrote:

7 Nov 2014

Melaleuca parvistaminea is native to the Southern Highlands. The photo in the ACT book was taken on the Kings Highway, near Braidwood, and did not appear to have been planted. At the time I wrote the ACT book (2005) all records of this species in the ACT were in suburban Canberra. Hence I marked it as introduced to the ACT. Since then (2008) Wednesday Walkers of the ANPS have sighted it on Bendora Road near Bendora Dam. It may or may not have been planted there. Without some idea of scale it is impossible to say which species the above photo is. Could Galah681 go back to where she sighted it and check whether the stamens are in bundles or not? And/or provide a scale for the photo. According to Flora of NSW, the flower spikes of Meleleuca parvistaminea are 1-2.5cm long; those of Callistemon sieberi are 3-5m long.

galah681 wrote:

7 Nov 2014

I think the stamens are in bundles with longer pink stamens (can be just seen in the photo above) in between the bundles. The flower spikes were about 2cm long, The leaves were about 1cm long and the shrubs were about 1.5-2m tall. Unidentified sighting 27465 at Tidbinbilla shows my possible M. parvistaminea. Not likely to be in the area for another month, but will check it then if necessary. It is unlikely that the shrubs at Tidbinbilla had been planted.

BettyDonWood wrote:

7 Nov 2014

I have put your information into my draft key to plants of SE NSW. It came up with Melaleuca parvistaminea or Callistemon pityoides, which is about as good as it gets in a key not designed to get to a single species.

BettyDonWood wrote:

7 Nov 2014

I have just noted what appear to be stakes around the base of the plant in the photo of habit. This suggests it was planted.

MichaelBedingfield wrote:

7 Nov 2014

Thanks for the confirmation Betty. My notes for the sighting state that it appears to have been planted, hence my caution. Your expertise is much appreciated.

MichaelMulvaney wrote:

7 Nov 2014

Thanks everyone - one thing I am enjoying about Canberra Nature Map is how it is improving my plant ID skills.

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