Melaleuca styphelioides [Myrtaceae]; Prickly PaperbarkA common occupant of damp parts of the ‘clay county’ of western Sydney (as well as other conditions), this paperbark species should be planted more as a street tree and used in moderately sized gardens or public plantings. It is smaller than the enormous and the ubiquitous Melaleuca quinquinervia, more narrow and single trunking than Melaleuca bracteata (seen commonly in the Inner West). It does not have the powerful flowering display of Melaleuca linariifolia (which also should be seen more frequently in Sydney), but it makes up for it with a beautiful branching structure and a more verdant hue. It can be grown as a dense form (above left) or pruned into an open, nebulous canopy (above right).
