Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species: M. pallida
Binomial name: Melaleuca pallida
Synonyms: Callistemon pallidus
Common names: Lemon bottlebrush
Melaleuca pallida is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and are endemic to eastern Australia. It is an upright shrub or tree that can grow > 6 m tall with numerous slender branches. The young shoots are silvery or red and covered in silky hairs.
The leaves are alternate, narrowly-elliptic, grey-green or a dark green and >10cm long and > 17 mm wide. The tapered leaves are narrowest towards their base and there is a small point on the apex end. There is a distinct midvein, 6-16 indistinct side veins and many distinct oil glands. The leaves are hairy when young.
The flowers are a shade of cream to yellow and are arranged in cylindrically shaped spikes on the ends of the branches. The spikes with 15 to 50 individual flowers are >45 mm in diameter and are > 100mm long. The petals which are 2.9–6 mm long fall off as the flower ages. There are 34-70 stamens in each flower. Flowering occurs from October to February and is followed by fruit which is a woody, cup-shaped capsules, >6.6 mm long. These capsules may persist on the branches for several years.
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