Australian Native Plants

  Melaleuca lateritia (Robin Red-breast Bush)


Melaleuca lateritia photo
Melaleuca lateritia flowers

Photograph by Kevin Thiele from Perth. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Melaleuca lateritia photo
Melaleuca lateritia growing near Margaret River

Photograph by Geoff Derrin. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)



Growth Characteristics information is sourced from: State Flora Catalog, Government of South Australia Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.



PLANT FACTS

distribution map showing range of Melaleuca lateritia in Australia

Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License


Common Name
Robin Red-breast Bush

Description
The Robin Red-breast Bush is an erect medium shrub growing to 2.5 m tall. The leaves are light green and narrow with a pointed tip, and grow 6 mm to 25 mm long and 1 mm to 2 mm wide. The plant flowers in most of the warmer months from August to April. The flowers are orange-red and produced in spikes about 8 cm long and 6 cm in diameter. The fruit capsules are about 7 mm in diameter.

Habitat
sandy soil in swampy areas

Distribution
Robin Red-breast Bush is found in the south west of Western Australia from south of Geraldton to around Albany.

Growth Characteristics
Height (m): 1 - 2
Spread (m): 1 - 2
Soil Texture: sand, loam, clay
Soil pH: acid soils, neutral soils
Frost Sensitivity: moderately sensitive
Minimum Rainfall (mm): 500
Flower Colour: red / orange
Flower Season: spring, summer

(source: SA State Flora Catalog)



Classification
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Myrtales
Family:Myrtaceae
Genus:Melaleuca
Species:lateritia
Common Name:Robin Red-breast Bush


Relatives in same Genus
  Melaleuca acuminata
  Melaleuca adnata
  Melaleuca alternifolia
  Melaleuca argentea
  Melaleuca armillaris
  Melaleuca aspalathoides
  Melaleuca barlowii
  Melaleuca blaeriifolia
  Melaleuca bracteata
  Melaleuca brevifolia
  Melaleuca bromelioides
  Melaleuca calothamnoides
  Melaleuca calycina
  Melaleuca campanae
  Melaleuca cardiophylla
  Melaleuca carrii
  Melaleuca coccinea
  Melaleuca concreta
  Melaleuca conothamnoides
  Melaleuca cordata
  Melaleuca cucullata
  see A-Z list for more ...