''Melaleuca chisholmii'' commonly known as Burra bottlebrush is a plant in the myrtle family,

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to Queensland. It is a shrub with rough bark, an open habit and spiky foliage but in winter has bright red flower spikes tipped with yellow.

Description

''Melaleuca chisholmii'' is a shrub growing to tall with rough, dark grey or fibrous brown bark. Its leaves are arranged alternately and are long, wide, flat, linear to narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end near the base and with the end tapering to a sharp point. The flowers are arranged in spikes on the ends of branches that continue to grow after flowering. The spikes are up to in diameter and long with ten to thirty individual flowers. The petals are long and fall off as the flower ages. There are 25 to 57

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s in each flower, with red filaments red yellow

anthers The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

. Flowering occurs from May to August and is followed by fruit that are woody capsules, long in cylindrical spikes that remain on the stem for a lengthy period.

Taxonomy and naming

Burra bottlebrush was first formally described in 1925 by

Edwin Cheel Edwin Cheel (14 February 1872 – 19 September 1951) was an Australian botanist and collector. Before being appointed as a staff member of Centennial Park in 1897 he was a gardener in New South Wales and Queensland. Later he transferred to the R ...

, who gave it the name ''Callistemon chisholmii'' in the ''

Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes ''the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches'' and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. History The Society succ ...

'' from a specimen collected on the "western watershed,

Thompson River The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches, the South Thompson River and the North Thompson River. The river ...

Fall, North Queensland". In 2006

Lyndley Craven Lyndley Alan Craven (3 September 1945 – 11 July 2014) was a botanist who became the Principal Research Scientist of the Australian National Herbarium. Lyndley ("Lyn") Craven worked for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organ ...

changed the name to ''Melaleuca chisholmii'' in the journal '' Novon''. (Cheel gave the incorrect spelling ''Callistemon chisholmi''.) The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

(''chisholmii'') honours J.R. Chisholm (1855-1927), a botanical collector who collected the

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...

of this species. Some Australian state herbaria continue to use the name ''Callistemon chisholmii'', but ''Melaleuca chisholmii'' is the accepted name in Queensland. ''Callistemon chisholmii'' is regarded as a synonym of ''Melaleuca chisholmii'' by the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

Distribution and habitat

This melaleuca occurs in higher areas of central Queensland in woodland and forest near watercourses.

Conservation status

Burra bottlebrush is listed as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government ''

Nature Conservation Act 1992 The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota. As originally published, it prov ...

''.

Use in horticulture

''Melaleuca chisholmii'' is a hardy plant from dry inland areas but has been grown successfully in

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q20721649 chisholmii Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1925 Taxa named by Edwin Cheel