Melaleuca cajuputi

Read about Melaleuca cajuputi in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Melaleuca leucadendron, Linn. (M. Cajuputi, Roxbg. M. latifolia, Raeusch). Cajuput Tree. Punk Tree. Swamp Tea Tree. Fig. 2346. Large tree with thick spongy bark and pendulous branchlets (branches rigid and erect in small plants), either glabrous or the young shoots silky: lvs. elliptic or oblong, tapering to each end, 2-4 or 8 in. long, ½ - ¾ in. wide, with 3—7 parallel nerves and numerous cross-veinlets: fls. creamy-white (varying to pink and purple in Austral.); the spikes l ½ -4 in. long, 1 in. wide, the axis growing out only after flowering; stamens nearly ½ in. long. June-Oct. G.M. 40:798. Bot. Cook's First Voy. 112. Maiden, For. Fl. N. S. W. 15.— This tree withstands salt-water, wind, drought, and slight frosts. The lvs. of certain forms yield the well-known green aromatic cajuput oil used in medicine. The bark is pale buff and peels off in many thin layers; it is very durable and almost impervious to water; it is valuable for packing frs. and is used for roofs and boats. A low, pyramidal form with narrow lvs. and silky fls. is sometimes listed as var. minor, Hort. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.