Fragrant blossoms

ONE cannot resist stopping for a while to have a closer look at the white bottlebrush-like blossoms or to touch and perhaps to peel off the cushion-like flaky bark of Melaleuca leucodendron.

Unlike many other exotic trees, Melaleuca puts forth its magnificent floral bunches at the onset of the monsoon. A pervading fragrance arises from the nectar laden brush-like blooms, which appear at the tips of branchlets. One can find thousands of honeybees and other nectar feeding insects flying around the tree when it is in full bloom.

The generic name Melaleuca is derived from the Greek melas, black and leukos, white, referring to the colour of the old and new barks.

The genus with about 220 species is mostly confined to Australia or Tasmania except for M. leucodendron, which is also found in Malaya and New Caledonia. As with many other Australian immigrants such as eucalyptus, acacias, grevilleas and callistemons, Melaleuca grows well in the hills and in the plains.

A dozen saplings of Melaleuca planted in 1992 at the Calicut University campus started blooming in 1995. The tree resembles the popular bottlebrushes, Callistemon species in its foliage and inflorescence. But, unlike callistemons, the inflorescence axis of Melaleuca never grows beyond a head of flowers to produce new leaves.

The tree has a conical crown and reaches upto 10 m in height with several slender upright branches. The trunk is undulate with a papery white bark, peeling off in broad stripes. The leaves are eucalyptus-like, 5-8 cm long, thick, elliptic or lance-shaped and fragrant when crushed.

Flowers are produced in spikes amidst a lush green foliage. One to eight spikes are produced at the apex of each branchlet. The flowers are small, hardly 5 mm across with a creamy-white corolla and a greenish calyx cup. To a casual observer, stamens are barely discernable from the corolla and calyx. The woody fruits often persist on the tree for many years.

In June to July, M. leucodendron bears its flowers prolifically. It is best suited for planting along venues and in parks. Among the several species of the genus found in Australia, M. quinquenervia, the Cajput tree and M. spathulata, the Honey myrtle, are hardy enough for South Indian conditions.

The tree can be propagated vegetatively by air layering. Cuttings induced to root, after treatment with 200 parts per million indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) also serve as the best material. Melaleuca prefers rich, moist, well-drained soil and an open sunny position.

Text and picture by

A. K. PRADEEP

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