Topic 29 Callistemons 2013

Australian Plants Society NORTH SHORE GROUPTopic 29: Callistemons, Kunzeas and Melaleucas Family: MYRTACEAE) The family Myrtaceae takes its name from the W. Asian Myrtus communis or Myrtle, long naturalised in Europe. It is a large family of approximately 155 genera and 3000 species, mostly from the Southern Hemisphere, but also present in the Mediterranean area. Did you know that,  The Myrtaceae comprise two sub-families differentiated by their fruits. One called Leptospermoideae, has dry, capsular fruit and the other, Myrtoideae with fleshy fruit: berries.  Some well-known examples from the first are our Eucalypts, Tea- trees and Heath-myrtles all with links to drier, less fertile environments. The second is represented by Acmena (Lillipilies), Syzygiums and Austromyrtus all associated with rainforest habitats and found in the Sydney region.  The featured genera for these notes align with the Eucalypts but are much more spectacular and colourful when in full flower. The Myrtaceae family comprises woody trees and shrubs with leaves dotted with glands containing a variety of oils which release characteristic odours. Leaves are entire, alternate or opposite, often with considerable difference between juvenile and adult leaves. Flowers are usually regular and most have sepals, petals and stamens arising from a cup or calyx tube which is around the ovary. Almost always there are 5 sepals and petals. Petals are often inconspicuous whereas stamen are often numerous and conspicuous. Focussing now on shrubs and trees with an inflorescence conspicuously staminate but with inconspicuous petals a) stamens free - Callistemon and Kunzea b) stamens in bundles - Melaleuca a) Stamens free - Callistemon Callistemon means beautiful stamens. There are about 30 endemic Australian species, many of which grow in damp places. Leaves are alternate. The flower spikes are terminal until superseded by new growth. The fruit is a woody capsule which remains on the plant in a cylindrical cluster. Callistemons are hardy and adaptable garden plants which can tolerate dry conditions and all except alkaline soils, and prefer full sun. They can be pruned back hard if necessary. They grow readily from cuttings or seed, but since they hybridise readily, the former might be preferable. 1 The red flower spikes are up to 10cm long and the anthers dark.the name refers to the growth habit. with thickened margins. Callistemons which grow naturally in the Wildflower Garden are: C. Can grow to 6m on creek banks. Callistemon citrinus “Angela” Photo T. up to 12cm long. 2 . Capsules are 6-7 mm across. Grows in damp areas of coastal S. page 59 Callistemon citrinus . Australia. C.E. rigidus is widespread in damp areas of the Sydney region. Armstrong ©Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. Fruits are globular . New growth is soft pink. Leaves are lanceolate to 8cm and 8mm wide. Australia. Leaves are 5-7cm long. depressed globular with a relatively broad opening. 3-4mm wide.named with reference to the lemon scent of the leaves.about 7mm in diameter. Spikes are deep red. It is a stiff shrub to 3m. See Ref 1. with a narrow aperture. rigidus . in autumn as well as spring. Sydney. Spikes. Leaves are narrow-elliptical. M. 3 . Australia. Spikes up to 11 cm long.with pine-like leaves. 1mm wide. Capsules about 5mm wide. Sydney.narrow-leaved a NSW callistemon which favours rocky creek banks and wet sandy soils. C. In Sydney area grows at Castlereagh and in coastal heath near Botany Bay. Australia. are lime green. Capsules are depressed globular. Armstrong ©Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. rigid. linearis . Queensland. A shrub to 2. pinifolius . salignus . Armstrong ©Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. Callistemons planted in Wildflower Garden or common in the Sydney region C.5m. Spikes are creamy-yellow. with pendulous branches and papery bark. Photo T. Tame ©Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. C. A small tree to 10m. pointed. Photo: T. Leaves terete or channelled. Australia. soft. Capsules about 7mm diameter. up to 12cm long and less than 2mm wide. The bright pink colour of new growth is distinctive. Sydney. An open spreading shrub to 3m.willowy. 4-8cm long. about 8mm in diameter. 5-9 cm. Sydney. Grows in coastal NSW and S. 6-9cm long. about 5cm long. Leaves are sharply pointed. Photo T. unlike the red of all the above species. aromatic. but not in 5 bundles as in Melaleuca. Flowers are usually in fluffy pom-poms . Photo T. viminalis is unusual in having its stamens joined at the base to form a ring . up to 10 mm long. Leaves vary from linear to narrow-elliptical. with the exception of K. Flowers are scented. arranged in 2 or more rows. in prolific heads in the leaf axils of lateral branches. Stamens are usually longer than petals and are usually the conspicuous part of the flower. do not like our humid summers. ©Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. Spikes are up to 10cm and red. baxteri. Armstrong ©Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. The capsule is non-woody and the calyx lobes persist.i. It is a common. viminalis . It is a hardy plant. easily grown from cuttings Kunzea ambigua Photo J. and is widely cultivated. yellow. white (rarely pink). usually alternate leaves.a small weeping tree. Flowering is in late spring and early summer.so called because Smith originally described it as Leptospermum ambiguum (1797). entire.A species. Australia. growing in well- drained soils.e. dense. grows naturally along the Queensland coast and hinterland. Leaves are crowded. colonising after disturbance. Plaza. up to 7cm long. 4 . Callistemon viminalis Australia. spreading shrub to 4m. who worked on a collection of Australian plants. There are more than 40 species widespread over temperate and sub-tropical Australia. Colours range through white. a) Stamens free . not altogether free.C. Its bark is hard and furrowed. sometimes in upper leaf axils. They are woody shrubs with small. mauve and red. W.KUNZEA Kunzea was named as a tribute to Gustave Kunze. Sydney. Sydney. an early 19 th century professor of medicine and botany in Leipzig.often terminal. Eastern species grow readily in well-drained soils in sun. C. ambigua . Its range is from Tasmania to northern NSW on coast and tablelands. Growing naturally in the Wildflower Garden are: K. It is a “pioneer” plant. M. armillaris in 1789. especially after fire. Capsules should be at least 12 months old to ensure mature seed. Australia. There are over 200 species. Flowers are white in dense feathery spikes in spring and early summer. The numerous stamens are joined to varying degrees to form 5 “bundles”. Photo T. spikes or “claws”. Melaleuca linariifolia 5 . often less. The fruit is a capsule.grows in damp sandy soils in sunny situations. M. sometimes straggly. M. Capsules are cylindrical. M. Australia-wide. to 3cm long. ericifolia. some with papery bark. with the greatest number in W. Its bark is papery. nodosa. globular heads in spring and summer. capitata . hypericifolia) attests to the ease of growing the genus from seed.grows naturally in the Wildflower Garden. attracting many insects and insect-eating birds. A tree growing in damp places along the NSW coast and ranges. Kunzea capitata b) Stamens in bundles . The calyx tube is hairy.5m. The genus consists of woody trees and shrubs. terminal. Flowers occur in inflorescences which are heads. linariifolia . to 3mm wide. to be followed soon after by M. Sydney. 2-4mm in diameter. often woody. A shrub to 1. Leaves crowded and opposite.K. The numerous stamens are about 6mm long with yellow anthers.MELALEUCA The name of the genus is said to refer to the black and white colouring of the bark. with enclosed valves. Tame ©Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. to 9mm long and 3-veined. some hard. Leaves alternate. thymifolia and M. The number of Melaleucas which were grown in England after Banks’ return from Botany Bay (M. Its apt common name is “snow in summer”. Flowers are mauve. from southern NSW to Queensland. In the west most grow in well-drained sandy soils. Australia.the name refers to its knob- like head of numerous stamens . In the east many are trees in damp situations. with hard corky bark. M. stiff. to 20mm long. nodosa -knobby capsules. Australia. with cream filaments in spring. Capsules are globular.Leaves linear. Tame ©Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. Photo T. 1mm wide. Leaves tough and broad. Flowers in dense. armillaris . M. It grows on the south coast of NSW and in Queensland. . Sydney. M. Armstrong ©Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. 5mm in diameter.Amongst those planted in the Wildflower Garden or common in the Sydney area are: M. Photo T. Can grow to 6m but often shorter and rounded especially on exposed headlands. Large paperbark tree growing from Botany Bay to Cape York near and in swamps and lagoons. alternate. quinquenervia . Spikes are 3-7cm long.the name means encircled with a bracelet. 12-25mm long. Yellow flowers in globular clusters in upper axils or terminal. and also in New Guinea and Caledonia. sharply pointed. Capsules are small in dense spherical clusters. Australia. Capsules are broadly cylindrical to 5mm wide. cream terminal spikes in late summer and autumn. growing in well-drained soil on coast and ranges of NSW and in Tasmania. Leaves are crowded. 6 .5 veins in the leaves. Victoria and Queensland. Sydney. A tree to 8m. Leaves are small. Plaza ©Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. crowded. Photo J. with wiry stems. Flowers are in creamy spikes in mid-summer. It grows from southern NSW to Queensland. corky bark and delicate feathery. with paperbark. stiff. Capsules 3-4mm across in oblong clusters. flowering in spring and early summer. A small shrub to 1m. Plaza ©Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. Blue Mountains and Queensland.styphelia-like leaves.thyme-scented leaves. Sydney. sharply pointed. mainly near the coast. Common on the Cumberland Plain in sheltered moist places and on the NSW coast north from Shoalhaven. A tree to 15m. thymifolia . M. styphelioides . Photo J. 7 . Sydney. Australia. opposite. Capsules have distinctive horns (calyx teeth).M. striated. twisted. Australia. Leaves are to 15mm long. violet flowers in “claws”. Reed. P. Armstrong ©Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. (Hold down Ctrl and left click PlantNET while connected to your Service Provider). nd Produced for the Walks & Talks Program of the North Shore Group of the Australian Plants Society. 7. A. A hyperlink to the NSW Flora Online may be helpful in accessing relevant materials including images. 3rd edition. 1982 5.leaves like those of Hypericum. et al. Revised ES 2005 and FL 2012/2013. This link is provided with the courtesy of The Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Park Trust. up to 6cm. Volume 2. M. Printed 2013. Leaves occur in 2 pairs of opposite rows. Illustration on page 2 is by M. 1993 by kind permission of Harper-Collins. L. M. 5. J & Fagg. Australia. Paperbarks & Tea trees. by kind permission of Kangaroo Press 3. Photo T. (Refer also line drawings on Pages 4 and 5 of these notes back to Pages 151. Capsules are bell-shaped with persistent calyx lobes. Flora of the Sydney Region. Harden. Other references noted below were widely consulted 4. Flora of NSW. 6. NSW Uni Press. 1994 6. 3rd edition 2003. 1991. 8 . Kangaroo Press. Fairley. 1977. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and REFERENCES Illustrations are reproduced with permission as noted. hypericifolia . in a dense spike. 2 edition 2002. 153 and 173 of this reference). Sydney. Australian Native Plants. & 8 from Robinson. A & Moore. Carolin. A large shrub growing in moist places in the Sydney area and on the Blue Mountains. in late spring to early summer.J. Flora of the Sydney Region. 1. 3. Spikes are rusty red on old wood. and Tindale. Native Plants of the Sydney District. Fagg from Wrigley. R. Field guide to the Native Plants of Sydney. 7. plant descriptions and a glossary from PlantNET . 2. illustrations. armillaris is from Blombery. G. Bottlebrushes.M. Beadle. Line drawings on pages 2. 4th Ed. Line drawing on page 6 of M. Ed 1. N. 2011. alternate or irregularly arranged (including irregularly whorled) 4 2 Flowers red. not or scarcely rough Callistemon linearis 3 Flowers yellow or green Callistemon salignus 3* Flowers red. white or yellowish 3 3 Flowers pink to deep mauve. usually with 5 prominent longitudinal Melaleuca veins quinquenervia 5* Leaves not as above 6 6 Leaves ovate to broad-ovate. in short spikes. inflorescences terminal. 3-7 cm long. flowers white to pink or purple. flowers in globose heads or short Melaleuca nodosa spikes 4* Fruit scattered or in cylindrical groups. bark papery 6* Leaves at least shortly petiolate. short Callistemon citrinus acuminate and pungent. more than 3 cm long. Melaleuca armillaris c. 1-veined. Inflorescences lateral from older stems 3* Flowers white or yellowish. Leaves flat or lower surface concave. with more than 11 longitudinal Melaleuca styphelioides veins. Inflorescences axillary. leaves flat or channelled. Veins evident Key to the genus Melaleuca (KWG only) 1 Leaves opposite or more or less opposite 2 1* Leaves scattered. fruit with included valves 4 Fruit in tight globose or ellipsoidal clusters. petiolate. staminal bundles less than 20 mm Melaleuca thymifolia long. rough with oil Callistemon pinifolius glands 2* Flowers red. 5-8 mm wide. flowers in spikes or terminal clusters 5 5 Leaves flat. Key to the genus Callistemon (KWG only) 1 Leaves less than 3 mm wide 2 1* Leaves more than 3 mm wide 3 2 Flowers yellow-green or rarely red. borne low on the branchlets. 1--2 mm wide. pink. 2--6 mm wide. staminal bundles more than 20 mm long Melaleuca hypericifolia 2* Flowers mauve. bark corky or hard 9 . pink or lilac 4 4 Flowers red 5 4* Flowers pink or lilac Callistemon citrinus 5 Stamens fused into a ring at the base Callistemon viminalis 5* Stamens free 6 6 Leaves more or less linear. mostly 5--7 cm long. sub-terminal or in the upper axils. staminal claws 8--15 mm long each bundle with Melaleuca linariifolia more than 30 stamens. leaves terete or channelled. 3--4 mm wide Callistemon rigidus 6* Leaves oblanceolate to narrow elliptic.