Melaleuca squamea

Botanical Name:  Melaleuca squamea
Common Name:  Swamp honey myrtle
Family:  Myrtaceae

Size: 1-3m H, 1.2-2m W.
Leaves: 4-8 mm long. Crowded, alternate up the stem, concave to incurved at apex. Linear egg-shapeto ovate-shape, tapering to a soft pointed end. 3- 5 distinct longitudinalveins.
Flowers: 3 to 26 individual flowers make up the globular-shaped flowerhead at end of branches. Branches continue to grow after flowering.Each flowerhead is 15-20mm wide.  Mauve form predominant.  White, or yellow forms, less common.
Flowering Time:  October – February
Fruit: Small clusters of spherical capsules along the stem, persisting for several years.

Habitat/distribution: Tas, Vic, NSW and SA, in wet heathlands from sea level to 1000m.
Where to See: Labillardiere peninsular, Bruny Island, for example. Widespread, wet heaths, sea level to high altitudes.   Windsor Park Parklands down towards the wetlands lining the Tamar River,
Other notes: Some mainland states have this listed as rare or vulnerable.  It is more widespread in Tasmania, where it grows, often in dense thickets at the edges of swamps or peaty heathlands