Green bottlebrush

Description

Melaleuca flavovirens (Synonym; Callistemon flavovirens), commonly known as green bottlebrush is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area near the New South Wales–Queensland border in Australia. (Some Australian state herbaria continue to use the name Callistemon flavovirens.) It is a stiff shrub, distinguished by its silvery new growth and spikes of greenish flowers with yellow tips. Melaleuca flavovirens is a spreading shrub growing to 1–3 m (3–10 ft) tall with hard, corrugated bark. Its leaves are arranged alternately and are 36–102 mm (1–4 in) long, 4–11 mm (0.2–0.4 in) wide, narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, and a short, blunt tip on the end. They are also distinguished by their broad v-shape, distinct oil glands on both surfaces, a mid-rib and 8 to 16 distinct lateral veins. The flowers are whitish through cream to green and arranged in spikes on the ends of branches that continue to grow after flowering as well as on the sides of the branches. The spikes are up to 55 mm (2 in) in diameter with 15 to 40 individual flowers. The petals are 3.9–6.1 mm (0.15–0.24 in) long and fall off as the flower ages. There are 34 to 38 stamens in each flower, tipped with yellow. Flowering occurs between May and December and is followed by fruit that are woody capsules, 5.7–8.2 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long.