Species profile—Melaleuca irbyana
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Myrtaceae → Melaleuca irbyana
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Scientific name
- Melaleuca irbyana R.T.Baker
- WildNet taxon ID
- 26403
- Synonym(s)
- Melaleuca tamariscina subsp. irbyana
- Alternate name(s)
- bush house paperbark
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Endangered
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- No
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Melaleuca irbyana is a small tree growing to 8m in height. The bark is papery and white to pale brown in colour. The leaves on the indeterminate shoots (with the outer/lower flowers opening first and the branch continuing to grow) are narrowly ovate in shape, 4-5mm long, 1-1.5mm wide and narrow gradually to a pointed tip. The leaves on the determinate shoots (with the terminal flower opening first, preventing the branch from further growth) are more angular-ovate in shape, 2-3mm long, 1-1.5mm wide, are inserted in shallow hollows on the stem and have prominent dark glands in 4-6 rows.
The flowers are in 6-12 bundles of three, each 10-25mm long and with 8-12 white or cream coloured stamens (filamentous reproductive flower part) per bundle. The fruits are 3-3.5mm long and 3.5-4mm wide. (Byrnes 1984; Barlow 1987) - Map
- View Map
- Distribution
- Melaleuca irbyana is found from Gatton in south-east Queensland, east to Brisbane and also north of Injune, south to near Casino in north-eastern New South Wales. (Craven & Lepschi 1999; Herbrecs 2008)
- Distributional limits
- -25.2583333, 148.3083333
-27.864132, 153.212 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Melaleuca irbyana grows in flat areas that are periodically waterlogged, in eucalypt forest, mixed forest and Melaleuca woodland with a sparse and grassy understorey. It grows on poorly draining, heavy clay soils. (Byrnes 1984; Barlow 1987)
- Reproduction
- Melaleuca irbyana flowers mainly from September to January. (Barlow 1987)
- Notes
- Contributors: Tony Bean, Mellisa Mayhew 26/06/2009
- References
- Barlow, B.A. (1987). Contributions of a revision of Melaleuca (Myrtaceae). Brunonia 9(2): 173.
Byrnes, N.B. (1984). A revision of Melaleuca L. (Myrtaceae) in northern and eastern Australia, 1. Austrobaileya 2(1): 72.
Craven, L.A. & Lepschi, B.J. (1999). Enumeration of the species and infraspecific taxa of Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) occurring in Australia and Tasmania. Australian Systematic Botany 12(6): 883.
Herbrecs (2008). Melaleuca irbyana, in BriMapper version 2.12. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 09/10/2008. - Profile author
- Tony Bean (26/06/2009)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=26403.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
