Melaleuca armillaris bracelet honey myrtle

Bracelet honey myrtle has needle-like leaves an inch long or less and hooked at the tip. The small, white, five-petaled flowers combine to form a spike 1 or 2 inches long. After the fruit has set, the capsules cluster tightly around the stem. On casual inspection the flowers resemble those of Callistemon; the difference is that the stamens are arranged in five fused bundles instead of being separate on a continuous ring, as for Callistemon. As with other myrtles, the leaves have oil glands and give off a pleasant aroma when crushed. Specimens on Mirada Avenue have disappeared.

· Callistemon and Melaleuca: Key to Species.

Name derivation: Melaleuca – Greek mela (black) and leukos (white) because some species of the genus have black trunks with white branches; armillaris – bracelet or collar.