Melaleuca ctenoides
Melaleuca ctenoides is a shrub in the myrtle family native to the southwest of Western Australia. It was described in 1990 during a study that split Melaleuca laxiflora into several species, including M. ctenoides. It is similar to M. laxiflora but has comb-like leaves and mauve or violet flowers that appear in spring.
The plant spreads up to about 3 meters tall and has smooth leaves and branches. Leaves are 10–35 mm long and about 0.9–1.5 mm wide, narrow and almost circular in cross-section. Flowers are mauve and form spikes on side branches that continue to grow after flowering. Each spike holds up to 20 flowers and is about 20–30 mm long and 25 mm in diameter. Petals are pale pink and fall off soon after the flowers open. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower, with 14–18 stamens in each bundle. Flowering mainly occurs from October to November. After flowering, woody capsules form as fruit, about 3.5–5 mm long.
The species was named by F. C. Quinn in 1990 from specimens collected north of Wongan Hills. The name ctenoides means “resembling a comb,” referring to the comb-like look of the new growth. Melaleuca ctenoides grows in sandy or clay soils on hillsides and granite outcrops in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie and Mallee regions. It is listed as not threatened.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:24 (CET).