Melaleuca incana subsp. tenella

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Melaleuca incana subsp. tenella is a plant in the myrtle family that grows along the south coast of Western Australia. It used to be called Melaleuca tenella, but in 1998 it was reclassified as a subspecies of Melaleuca incana. It is similar to Melaleuca incana subsp. incana, but differs in its size, leaf shape, when it flowers, and where it is found.

Description
- It is an upright, spreading shrub that can reach about 5 metres tall, with thin outer branches.
- Leaves grow in opposite pairs (sometimes in rings of three), are curved and crowded along the branches. They are 3.5–9 mm long and 0.5–1.1 mm wide, narrow lance-shaped, and have fine soft hairs giving a grey appearance.
- Flowers are arranged in spikes at the ends of branchlets that keep growing after flowering. Each spike has 6–55 flowers and can be up to 30 mm long and 15 mm wide. Flowers are white, creamy white, or yellow.
- Petals are very small (0.7–2.0 mm) and fall off as the flower ages.
- Stamens are in five bundles around the flower, with 3–11 stamens per bundle.
- Flowering mainly occurs in October.
- After flowering, it produces woody capsules 3–4 mm in diameter in cup-shaped clusters up to 20 mm long.

Taxonomy and name
- The species Melaleuca tenella was first described in 1867 from a specimen collected near the Phillips River.
- In 1998, Melaleuca tenella was reclassified as Melaleuca incana subsp. tenella.
- The name tenella comes from Latin ten­er, meaning soft or delicate, referencing the appearance of the type specimen.

Distribution and habitat
- This subspecies grows near the coast of Western Australia, between the Esperance district and Cape Arid, in the Esperance Plains and Mallee bioregions.
- It favors sandy, swampy sites.