Melaleuca Squarrosa – Scented Paperbark seeds

Reforest Australia

Cape Schanck, Victoria, Australia

$7.00

Melaleuca Squarrosa
Common name(s): Scented Paperbark

Height, Width: 12m x 2m across
Plant Type: Shrub or small tree
Flowering Period: September to February

Shrub or small tree to 12 m high with papery bark. Leaves opposite and ovate to broad-ovate, 5–15 mm long, 4–7 mm wide with an acute to sharply pointed apex and 5–7 longitudinal veins. Flowers are more or less terminal, in dense spikes 1.5–4 cm long, white to yellowish but sometimes tinged with pink. Fruit cup-shaped, about 4 mm wide.

Derivation of Name:

The specific epithet (squarrosa) is a Latin word meaning “rough with stiff bracts, leaves or scales”.

Uses:

Paper bark was used for wrapping and carrying babies, blankets, bandages, roofing; food – nectar. A cordial style drinkcan be made by soaking flowers in water.

This melaleuca is a useful plant as a screen plant because of its neat, dense foliage and attractive, sweetly scented flowers. Not commonly found on saline soils but studies have shown the species to be highly tolerant to salt. Highly perfumed flowers are formed in a bottle-brush arrangement on new growth and are yellow-cream. They are an important source of food for a range of birds, animals and insects during summer when most other things have finished flowering.
Seed capsules are retained on older branches.

SEEDS: Enough for you to successfully grow between 50-100 plants. Your seeds are of the same stock we use to grow our native plants in the nursery. The success of germination varies with open-pollinated, wild-collected seeds and after 3 years of consistently growing these species in the local area, I have selected the amount of seed you need to successfully grow between 50-100 plants yourself. These seeds are collected seasonally and with sincere cultural and ecological respect. Ordering a quantity according to this scale rather than ordering individual seeds is a better representation of sustainable seed harvesting and success for the grower.

Packet of 100-200 seeds.

Larger quantities are available.

PROPAGATION NOTES:

For great results refrigerate your seeds for 1-2 weeks before sowing. This emulates an over-wintering effect that helps with germination rates.

Sow seeds in a native-specific potting mix.

A good general rule to follow is to sow seeds at a depth relative to the size of the seed.

(Eucalyptus seeds require a light dusting of soil as their seeds are usually tiny. Warrigal Greens require a 50mm to 100mm depth.)

Keep moist, water daily until germination in 2-8 weeks at a minimum of 15° Celsius.

Reduce your watering amount once germination has occurred.

Sow at any time of the year.

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