Home and Landscape
Melaleuca
- Melaleuca, Black tea tree, Granite bottlebrush, Myrtle, Paperbark— Melaleuca spp.
- Family Myrtaceae (Myrtle family)
Plant Identification
Melaleucas are easy-to-grow, fast-growing evergreen trees or shrubs. They have narrow and sometimes needlelike leaves. Flowers are formed in clusters, resembling a bottlebrush and attracting birds. Woody seed capsules are clustered and hang on branches for years.
Optimum conditions for growth
Melaleucas are often planted as screens or grown as flowering and shade trees. They do well in areas with full sun and require little water. They can tolerate heat, wind, poor soil, and drought. Prune back branches to control growth.
