About Melaleuca systena Craven
Melaleuca systena Craven sometimes reaches a height of 2 meters (7 feet), but usually grows much shorter. Its leaves are arranged alternately along stems, are linear to egg-shaped and fleshy, and measure 4–15.5 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long and 0.6–1.4 mm (0.02–0.06 in) wide. Leaves are sometimes hairless, sometimes covered in fine hairs, and often taper to a pointed tip. The flowers are white to creamy-yellow, arranged in heads at the ends of branches that continue growing after flowering, and sometimes also appear in upper leaf axils. These flower heads are up to 20 mm (0.8 in) in diameter, and hold 3 to 9 groups of flowers arranged in threes. Flowering occurs in winter and summer, with more abundant flowering in spring. The petals of this species are 1.5–2.5 mm (0.06–0.1 in) long and drop off as the flower opens. Stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower, and each bundle usually contains 10 to 15 stamens. The fruit that forms after flowering are woody, roughly urn-shaped capsules 3–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long, that grow in small clusters along the stems. This melaleuca species occurs in coastal areas between and within the Shark Bay and Augusta districts of Western Australia, within the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain, Warren and Yalgoo biogeographic regions. It grows in sand overlying sandstone or laterite, and also on stable sand dunes.
