Melaleuca viminea is a shrub or tree which is endemic to the south of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. Its white or cream bottlebrush flowers appear from July to November (mid winter to late spring) in its native range. It usually grows to between 0.6 and 5 metres in height.

The species was first formally described by botanist John Lindley

John Lindley

John Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...

 in 1839 in A sketch of the vegetation of the Swan River Colony

A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony

A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Swan River Colony, also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Sketch Veg. Swan R., is an 1839 article by John Lindley on the flora of the Swan River Colony...

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Three subspecies are currently recognised:

• M. viminea subsp. appressa Barlow
• M. viminea subsp. demissa Craven
• M. viminea Lindl. subsp. viminea