Scientific Name:
Melaleuca citrina
Pronunciation:
me-luh-LOO-kuh sih-TRE-nuh
Common Name:
crimson bottlebrush
Family Name:
Myrtaceae
Plant Type:
Broadleaf evergreen
Key ID Features:
Leaves leathery, opposite, most blades oblanceolate to narrowly elliptical to linear, 5-7cm long x 4-17mm wide; margins entire, orange scented when crushed; flowers bottlebrush-like due to having very long filaments.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Australia / New Zealand
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Sheltered
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Container planting, Indoor plant, Summer interest
Additional Info:
Google. Compare to other locally grown species: Calliandra brevipes, Marsupella emarginata, and M. paludicola.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Dark-green, Gray glaucous.
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Elliptic, Linear, Oblanceolate
Apices:
Acuminate, Acute
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Glaucous, waxy
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Red, Dark-red (stamen filaments give the colour)
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun, Jul
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
Not showy, Persistent
Bark Morphology:
Lightly fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Tan, Brown
Additional Info:
In Zones 9-11, the bark will become deeply fissured
Organ Modifications:
Ectomycorrhizae
Pest Susceptibility:
Beetles or weevils, Scale insects (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant)
