Melaleuca

Melaleuca
Melaleuca armillaris foliage and flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Subfamily:	Myrtoideae
Tribe:	Melaleuceae
Genus:	Melaleuca L.[1]
Species
See List of Melaleuca species
Synonyms[1]
Genus synonymy Baudinia Lesch. ex DC. Beaufortia R.Br. in W.T.Aiton Billottia Colla Callistemon R.Br. Calothamnus Labill. Conothamnus Lindl. Eremaea Lindl. Eremaeopsis Kuntze Gymnagathis Schauer Kajuputi Adans. nom. rej. Lamarkea Rchb. orth. var. Lamarchea Gaudich. Manglesia Lindl. Meladendron St.-Lag. Melaleucon St.-Lag. orth. var. Melanoleuce St.-Lag. orth. var. Ozandra Raf. Petraeomyrtus Craven Phymatocarpus F.Muell. Regelia Schauer Schizopleura Endl. Trichobasis Turcz. nom. illeg.

Melaleuca (/ˌmɛləˈljuːkə/) is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles, bottlebrushes or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of Leptospermum).^[2]: 19 They range in size from small shrubs that rarely grow to more than 16 m (52 ft) high, to trees up to 35 m (115 ft). Their flowers generally occur in groups, forming a "head" or "spike" resembling a brush used for cleaning bottles, containing up to 80 individual flowers.

Melaleucas are an important food source for nectarivorous insects, birds, and mammals. Many are popular garden plants, either for their attractive flowers or as dense screens and a few have economic value for producing fencing and oils such as "tea tree" oil. Most melaleucas are endemic to Australia, with a few also occurring in Malesia. Seven are endemic to New Caledonia, and one is found only on Australia's Lord Howe Island. Melaleucas are found in a wide variety of habitats. Many are adapted for life in swamps and boggy places, while others thrive in the poorest of sandy soils or on the edge of saltpans. Some have a wide distribution and are common, whilst others are rare and endangered. Land clearing, exotic myrtle rust, and especially draining and clearing of swamps threaten many species.