Melaleuca sqaurrosa

Botanical Name:  Melaleuca sqaurrosa
Common Name: Scented paperbark
Family:  Myrtaceae

Size:  Erect shrub, 2 – 6 m high, 1 – 2.5 m wide.
Leaves: Ovate and pointed, 4 – 8 mm long. Rigidly arranged in pairs at right-angles giving a square appearance to the stems.
Flowers:  Crowded, fragrant. Small creamy-yellow brushes appear at end of stems.  2 – 4 cm long.
Flowering Time: Sporadically, late spring to early summer.
Fruit: Nutty capsules, clasping the stems.

Habitat/distribution: Widespread in Tasmania, except in central plateaux.  Appears in heathlands, and in dense colonies in moister sandy areas.  Also, as a riparian plant along S-W rivers.
Where to See: Coastal heathlands right around Tasmania, particularly in North and North-east, Waterhouse, Lulworth/Bellingham roadsides, Rocky Cape, Tasman peninsula and south of Hobart.
Other notes: A great re-vegetation plant for moist sunny areas.  Also, a great plant for screening.  A small prostrate form has been cultivated making it particularly popular with landscapers and gardeners.