Melaleuca linearis Seeds | Narrow-leaved Bottlebrush
LATIN NAME: Melaleuca linearis
COMMON NAME: Narrow-leaved Bottlebrush, Blood Flower
Plant Profile
The narrow-leaved bottlebrush is a shrub or small tree of two to four metres with stiff narrow leaves and dense cylindrical spikes of red stamens that open from the base upwards, so that the brush seems to be pushed out of the stem. The old name, blood flower, refers to the colour.
It grows along streams and in wet places on the coast of New South Wales and Queensland, and it is one of the hardiest of the bottlebrushes in cultivation. The genus was split from Callistemon, and the nursery trade has been slow to catch up with the change.
Science & Biotechnology
The flower is a spike of many individual flowers whose petals are small and whose stamens are long and coloured, and the spike continues to grow into a leafy shoot after flowering. That is why a bottlebrush stem carries a brush in the middle and leaves at the tip.
The plant is pollinated by birds, and the red colour and the copious nectar are the attraction. It also tolerates waterlogging and periodic flooding, which is why it grows along creek banks, and it resprouts from the base after fire. The seed is held in woody capsules on the stem for years and is released when the branch dies or is cut. The genus is also one of the sources of tea tree oil, though the oil of this species is not sold for that purpose.
Uses & Benefits
The plant is grown as a screen, a specimen and a hedge in mild climates, and it is one of the best shrubs for a wet corner or a creek bank. The cut stems are used in floristry.
The flowers are a good nectar source for honeyeaters, and the plant is used in land rehabilitation along waterways. The wood is hard and was used by Aboriginal people for spears and for clubs, and the leaves were used for a medicinal tea in some districts. The plant is also used as a windbreak around orchards in Australia, where its tolerance of wet ground is an advantage.
Growing from Seed
Sow the fine seed on the surface of a moist, free-draining mix at twenty degrees, since it needs light. Germination takes two to four weeks, and the seedlings are slow for the first year. Cuttings of semi-ripe wood in summer are easier for a named form.
Plant out in full sun in moist soil, and water through the first two summers. Prune after flowering, cutting behind the old brush, since the plant flowers on new growth and an unpruned bush becomes leggy and bare at the base. It tolerates frost to about minus seven. A plant in a pot needs repotting every second year, since the roots fill the container and the foliage yellows.
Our Take
A tough Australian shrub for wet ground and for a bird-friendly garden, and one that needs a hard prune after flowering to stay dense. Not a plant for a dry border.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Narrow-leaved Bottlebrush often pair it with these related subjects: