Melaleuca viminalis (Weeping bottlebrush) – Tube stock

Description

Stem
Generally a gnarled, poorly formed tree or shrub. Dead bark layered.

Leaves
Oil dots numerous and conspicuous, almost touching one another. Leaf blades about 25-138 x 3-27 mm.

Flowers
Individual flowers sessile and arranged in fairly compact spikes about 7-8 cm long, with the staminal filaments projecting at right angles to the inflorescence so that the whole structure resembles a red bottle-brush. Petals about 4-6 mm long.

Fruit
Seeds small, about 1-1.5 mm long. Cotyledons folded once and rolled lengthways.

Seedlings
Cotyledons obovate or elliptic, about 3 mm long, oil dots very sparse only just visible with a lens. At the tenth leaf stage: seedling glabrous, leaf blade linear or narrowly elliptic, apex acute, base attenuate; oil dots numerous, easily visible with a lens. Seed germination time 25 to 35 days.