Melaleuca citrina

Street berm shrubs, Mount View Road, Whanganui.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 28/11/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.

Inflorescences on street berm shrub, Mount View Road, Whanganui.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 28/11/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.

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Common name

common red bottle brush, crimson bottle brush, lemon bottlebrush, honey myrtle

Synonyms

Callistemon citrinus

Family

Myrtaceae

Authority

Melaleuca citrina (Curtis) Dum. Cours.

Flora category

Vascular – Exotic

Structural class

Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons

Brief description

Erect much-branched shrub to 5 m or more. Flowers in dense red/crimson ‘bottlebrush’ heads. Crushed leaves lemon scented (hence the common name ‘lemon bottlebrush’)

Similar taxa

Melaleuca rigida has shorter, narrower more coriaceous leaves; its persistent capsules are more woody and dense than in M. citrina.

Flower colours

Red/Pink

Fruiting

Hard persistent capsules

Propagation technique

Seed

Threats

This taxon may be prone to Myrtle Rust (Austropuccinia psidii) is an invasive fungus which threatens myrtle species - learn more myrtlerust.org.nz

Year naturalised

1975

Origin

Australia

Reason for introduction

Ornamental. Very widely grown in NZ but few confirmed records of it self-establishing

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