![]() The fruit are woody, cup-shaped, barrel-shaped, or almost spherical capsules, often arranged in clusters along the stems. The stamens vary greatly in colour, from white to cream or yellow, red, or mauve with their yellow tips (the anthers) contrasting with their "stalks" ( filaments). Five sepals occur, although these are sometimes fused into a ring of tissue and five petals which are usually small, not showy, and fall off as the flower opens or soon after. Within the head or spike, the flowers are often in groups of two or three, each flower or group having a papery bract at its base. Melaleuca flowers are usually arranged in spikes or heads. Most have distinct oil glands dotted in the leaves, making the leaves aromatic, especially when crushed. Every species in the genus is an evergreen, and the leaves vary in size from minute and scale-like ( M. bracteata, have hard, rough bark and another 20% have fibrous bark. lineariifolia, are known as paperbarks and have bark that can be peeled in thin sheets, whilst about 20% of the genus, including M. cajuputi reached a height of 46 m (151 ft).) quinquenervia, which can reach 35 m (115 ft). concinna which rarely grow to more than 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high, to trees like M. Melaleucas range in size from small shrubs such as M. Land clearing, exotic myrtle rust, and especially draining and clearing of swamps threaten many species. Some have a wide distribution and are common, whilst others are rare and endangered. Many are adapted for life in swamps and boggy places, while others thrive in the poorest of sandy soils or on the edge of saltpans. Melaleucas are found in a wide variety of habitats. Seven are endemic to New Caledonia, and one is found only on Australia's Lord Howe Island. Most melaleucas are endemic to Australia, with a few also occurring in Malesia. Many are popular garden plants, either for their attractive flowers or as dense screens and a few have economic value for producing fencing and oils such as "tea tree" oil. Melaleucas are an important food source for nectarivorous insects, birds, and mammals. Their flowers generally occur in groups, forming a "head" or "spike" resembling a brush used for cleaning bottles, containing up to 80 individual flowers. ![]() : 19 They range in size from small shrubs that rarely grow to more than 16 m (52 ft) high, to trees up to 35 m (115 ft). Melaleuca ( / ˌ m ɛ l ə ˈ lj uː k ə/) is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of Leptospermum).
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