Callistemon salignus
Encyclopedia
Callistemon salignus, commonly known as Willow Bottlebrush and White Bottlebrush, is an endemic Australian shrub or tree in the family Myrtaceae
. The species occurs in New South Wales
and Queensland
.
in 1797 in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, and named Metrosideros saligna. In 1826, botanist Robert Sweet
indicated that the species should be transferred to the genus Callistemon in Sweet's Hortus Britannicus. In his 2006 paper "New Combinations in Melaleuca for Australian Species of Callistemon (Myrtaceae)", Lyndley Craven, a research botanist from the Australian National Herbarium, proposed that this species should be renamed as Melaleuca salicina.
and is well-suited as a street tree, or for planting in parks and gardens. Additionally, flowers will attract birds to a garden. The species is suited to a wide range of soil types, and can tolerate both wet and dry conditions, and near-coastal exposure.
Cultivar
s include:
The cultivar known as C. salignus 'Violet Rose', and known variously as C. 'Ward's Hybrid' and C. 'Tyrian Rose', is currently known as C. 'Eureka'
Myrtaceae
The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...
. The species occurs in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Description
The species usually grows to between 4 and 10 metres in height and has narrow foliage, white papery bark, and new growth which is purplish-pink. The bottlebrush flower-spikes appear during spring. They are generally creamy white to yellow, though pink and red forms are also seen in cultivation.Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by botanist James Edward SmithJames Edward Smith
Sir James Edward Smith was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a precocious interest in the natural world...
in 1797 in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, and named Metrosideros saligna. In 1826, botanist Robert Sweet
Robert Sweet (botanist)
Robert Sweet was an English botanist, horticulturist and ornithologist.Born at Cockington near Torquay, Devonshire, England in 1783, Sweet worked as a gardener from the age of sixteen, and became foreman or partner in a series of nurseries. He was associated with nurseries at Stockwell, Fulham...
indicated that the species should be transferred to the genus Callistemon in Sweet's Hortus Britannicus. In his 2006 paper "New Combinations in Melaleuca for Australian Species of Callistemon (Myrtaceae)", Lyndley Craven, a research botanist from the Australian National Herbarium, proposed that this species should be renamed as Melaleuca salicina.
Cultivation
Callistemon salignus can be used for providing shelter and screeningand is well-suited as a street tree, or for planting in parks and gardens. Additionally, flowers will attract birds to a garden. The species is suited to a wide range of soil types, and can tolerate both wet and dry conditions, and near-coastal exposure.
Cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s include:
- C.salignus 'Carmine Pink'
- C.salignus 'Demesne Red Splendour', also known as 'Red Splendour'
- C.salignus 'Dwarf Pink’
- C.salignus 'Fireball', also known as 'Great Balls of Fire'
- C.salignus 'Maffra', a naturally occurring form from the Macalister RiverMacalister RiverThe Macalister River is a river of Gippsland in southeastern Victoria, Australia.The river was named by explorer Angus McMillan after his then employer, Captain Lachlan Macalister.-References:...
area near Maffra, Victoria - C.salignus 'Perth Pink'
- C.salignus 'Peony Purple'
- C.salignus 'Pink'
- C.salignus 'Pink Tips'
- C.salignus 'Rosy Red'
- C.salignus 'Rubra'
- C.salignus 'Snowdrift'. also known as 'Snowball' or 'Albus'
- C.salignus 'Red Splendour'
- C.salignus 'viridiflorus', a cultivar recorded in New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in the late 1950s.
The cultivar known as C. salignus 'Violet Rose', and known variously as C. 'Ward's Hybrid' and C. 'Tyrian Rose', is currently known as C. 'Eureka'