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Melaleuca fulgens
Scarlet honey myrtle is a woody shrub from southern and central Australia, grown for its grey-green foliage and bright bottlebrush-like flowers. It needs well-drained soil and sun, and it is sensitive to waterlogging and fungal disease.
Melaleuca fulgens, commonly known as the scarlet honey myrtle, is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. It is notable for its showy flowers, unusual foliage and fruit, and is a popular garden plant. It is a member of Melaleuca, a large and diverse genus whose members range from large trees such as M. quinquenervia, to small shrubs.
Melaleuca fulgens was introduced into cultivation in the United Kingdom in 1803 and is commonly grown in Australian gardens, with several hybrids also available. It is readily grown given sufficient moisture but needs good drainage as it is susceptible to fungal disease. Its attractive grey foliage and bright showy flowers are its horticultural features. Light pruning improves flowering and improves the shrub's shape. Plants may be propagated from seed, though propagation from semi-mature cuttings is preferred for cultivars to preserve flower colour and form. One attractive form has apricot-coloured flowers.
This melaleuca is found in a broad area across Western Australia, from Kalbarri to the vicinity of Kalgoorlie, south to the southern coastline and in the border areas with South Australia and the Northern Territory, growing on sandy or gravelly soils, often on granite outcrops.
Kalbarri Beaufortia · Dark Beaufortia · Badgingarra Beaufortia · Beaufortia bracteosa · Beaufortia burbidgeae · Stirling Range Bottlebrush · Gravel Bottlebrush · Elegant Beaufortia · Beaufortia empetrifolia · Beaufortia eriocephala · Grey Leaved Beaufortia · Beaufortia interstans
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Melaleuca fulgens 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.
