melaleuca: Melaleuca quinquenervia (Myrtales: Myrtaceae): Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States

melaleuca	USDA PLANTS Symbol: MEQU U.S. Nativity: Exotic Habit: Hardwood Trees Shrub or Subshrub
Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake

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Taxonomic Rank: Magnoliopsida: Myrtales: Myrtaceae
Synonym(s): punktree, paperbark
Native Range: Trop. Asia, Australasia, & Pacific-New Caled. (GRIN);
Appearance Melaleuca quinquenervia is a tall (up to 80 ft. [24.4 m]), evergreen tree in the eucalyptus family that invades wetland habitats in southern Florida. The bark is papery, layered, brownish-white and peeling. Foliage The alternate leaves are gray-green, oval, 1-4 in. (2.5-10.2 cm) long and smell of camphor when crushed. Flowers Flowering occurs throughout the year. The brush-like spikes of flowers are white in color. Fruit Flowers give way to small, woody, seed capsules. Seeds are spread by wind and water. Ecological Threat Melaleuca quinquenervia aggressively invades a variety of wetland habitats including sawgrass marshes, wet prairies, and aquatic sloughs. It often forms impenetrable thickets, reduces biodiversity, displaces native vegetation and reduces the value of these habitats for wildlife. It also accelerates the loss of groundwater due to increased evapotranspiration. Melaleuca quinquenervia is native to Australia, New Guinea, and New Caledonia and was first introduced into the United States in southern Florida in the early 1900s for landscaping and “swamp drying” purposes. Melaleuca quinquenervia a resembles red bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), but the flowers of C. citrinus are red.

Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources

Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States - USDA Forest Service
Fire Effects Information System - USDA Forest Service
Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
Management Plan - Florida EPPC
Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. - USDA-APHIS

Selected Images from Invasive.org

View All Images at Invasive.org

Tree(s); habit Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Flower(s); flowers and fruit Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Foliage; Barry Rice, sarracenia.com, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Seedling(s); Tony Pernas, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Flower(s); Tony Pernas, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Fruit(s); Seed capsules. Albert (Bud) Mayfield, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Fruit(s); capsules Tony Pernas, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Fruit(s); fruits Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Fruit(s); fruit Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Seed(s); Tony Pernas, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Seed(s); Seeds. FNW taxon. Julia Scher, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Bark; papery trunk Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Control; Amy Ferriter, State of Idaho, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Stand; Aerial Application at Loxahatchee NWR Tony Pernas, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Control; Tony Pernas, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage

EDDMapS Distribution:
This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org

State List
This map identifies those states that list this species on their invasive species list or law.

U.S. National Parks where reported invasive:

Everglades National Park (Florida)
Haleakala National Park (Hawaii)

Invasive Listing Sources:

Florida Invasive Plant Council - Plant List

Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007

John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.

Reichard, Sarah. 1994. Assessing the potential of invasiveness in woody plants introduced in North America. University of Washington Ph.D. dissertation.

WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States