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Melaleuca ericifolia
Also called Paperbark Teatree, Swamp Teatree
Melaleuca ericifolia is a tall, dense shrub or small tree from south-eastern Australia with papery bark and creamy-white flower spikes. It grows best in moist to wet soil, such as the edges of swamps and streams.
Melaleuca ericifolia, commonly known as swamp paperbark, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and the genus Melaleuca, native to south-eastern Australia. It is a rather variable species and some specimens resemble Melaleuca armillaris but its papery bark and smaller, more prolific flower heads distinguish it from that species. It often grows in swampy areas and the draining and clearing of these has reduced the numbers of the species, especially around Port Philip Bay near Melbourne. It is also similar to Melaleuca pustulata, a Tasmanian endemic, but that species only grows in dry heath.
Swamp paperbark occurs in near-coastal areas of New South Wales south of Port Macquarie to Port Philip Bay in Victoria. It is also found on the islands of Bass Strait and is common near the coast in the north, north east and west of Tasmania. It grows beside streams and in coastal swamps in heath and dry sclerophyll forest. Draining of swamps and land clearance have significantly reduced the numbers of this species in Victoria.
Common netbush · Narrow Leaf Paperbark · Bracelet honey myrtle · River teatree · Cajeput · Myrtle Family · Goldfields Bottlebrush · Blue Paperbark · Prickly Leaved Paperbark · Creek Tea–tree · Slender Honey Myrtle · Weeping Paperbark
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Melaleuca ericifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
