Australian Native Plants

  Melaleuca thymifolia (Thyme Honey-myrtle)


Melaleuca thymifolia photo
Melaleuca thymifolia labeled at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

Photograph by Poyt448 Peter Woodard. License: Public Domain.    (view image details)

Melaleuca thymifolia photo
Melaleuca thymifolia in the Jardín Botánico de Barcelona - Barcelona, Spain.

Photograph by Daderot. License: Public Domain.    (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.



THYME HONEY-MYRTLE FACTS

distribution map showing range of Melaleuca thymifolia in Australia

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


Common Name
Thyme Honey-myrtle

Description
The Thyme Honey-myrtle is a small spreading shrub growing to 1.5 m tall. The leaves are elliptic with pointed tip and grow 10 mm to 15 mm long and 1 mm to 3 mm wide. The plant flowers in spring and summer. The flowers are purple or mauve and produced in flower heads about 25 mm in diameter. The fruit capsules are about 4 mm in diameter.

Habitat
heath, scrubland, seasonal swamps and along creeks

Distribution
Thyme Honey-myrtle is found in south east Queensland and eastern New South Wales.

Growth Characteristics
Height (m): 0.5 - 1
Spread (m): 0.5 - 1
Soil Texture: loam, clay
Soil pH: acid soils, neutral soils, alkaliine soils
Frost Sensitivity: resistant
Minimum Rainfall (mm): 550
Flower Colour: purple, white
Flower Season: summer

(source: SA State Flora Catalog)



Classification
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Myrtales
Family:Myrtaceae
Genus:Melaleuca
Species:thymifolia
Common Name:Thyme Honey-myrtle


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 ...