|
Return to Rainforest Canopy
OR
Return to Rainforest
Plants\Trees
Paperbark
 
Photo: Courtesy of Damon Ramsey
BSc.(Zool) Biologist Guide
-
The Paperbarks, Melaleuca
spp., are one of the most distinctive Australian plants, usually well known both
to residents and many visitors alike.
-
They are also
known as 'honey myrtles' as many species produce copious amounts of nectar,
and as 'Tea-trees', although this name is more commonly used for the other
Myrtaceae genus Leptospermum.
-
Melaleucas are also often mistaken at first
glance for Eucalyptus trees. They are in a separate genus, but in the same
family, and many of the species share the familiar pendulous branches and
drooping leaves.
-
Other common family features are the aromatic, oil gland filled
leaves and the flowers dominated by many colourful stamens (above right). And,
as is obvious from the main common name, many species have peeling, papery bark
(above left).
-
In this
genus, the stamens are united into bundles, of which there are five in every
individual flower (Holliday 1989).
-
There are at least 200 different species of
Melaleuca. Most
of these are found in Australia, but there are a few extending up into tropical
Asia and several can be seen in the Daintree region. In fact, in some of the
areas around the Daintree coastal floodplains, they constitute their very own
ecosystems of 'Paperbark Swamps'.
-
Paperbarks
have several different uses for humans. The peeling bark was not used as
paper, but it was used as a material in which the Australian Aboriginals
would cook. In modern times, the famous 'tea-tree' oil is in fact derived
from a Melaleuca. It's anti-bacterial qualities derive from terpenic-type
oils in the species Melaleuca alternifolia.
Script: Courtesy of Damon Ramsey BSc.(Zool) Biologist Guide
|
