Wallum bottlebrush — Melaleuca pachyphylla

Melaleuca pachyphylla

Food for native birds Host plant for butterflies and insects Pollinator favourite Shelter for wildlife Showy flowers Resilient garden plant

$7.00

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Plant profile

At a glance

The essentials for finding the right garden position.

Mature size: Height: 0.5–1.5 m · Width: 0.8–1.5 m
Light: Full sun, Part shade
Water: Moist, Seasonally wet
Soil: Sandy, Loamy, Clay
Drainage: Poorly drained
Vegetation type: Wallum / Sandy Heath, Wetlands / Swamps / Creek Margins
Plant lifespan: Long-lived perennial
Plant form: Shrubs

Plant ratings

A quick guide to this plant’s value for wildlife and the garden.

Bird food value
Host plant value
Pollinator value
Shelter & habitat value
Flower display
Garden resilience

About this plant

Wallum bottlebrush brings a soft, natural structure to the garden and works particularly well among other native species. Bright red bottlebrush flowers are followed by woody capsules along the stems. This stock is the red-flowering form. It can stand alone as a feature or mingle with other shrubs to build a varied and useful garden layer.

Image credits:
Feature image: Bruce Cathie via iNaturalist photo 320374674 — CC BY 4.0.
Additional flower close-up: Kritzolina, Blüten im botanischen Garten München-Nymphenburg 04 — CC BY-SA 4.0.
Flowering plant (15-melaleuca-pachyphylla-flowering-plant.jpg): Greg Tasney via iNaturalist photo 51988688 — CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mature shrub (14-melaleuca-pachyphylla-mature-shrub.jpg): Dave Brown (baldcoot) via iNaturalist photo 193506163 — CC0 1.0.

More plant details

Garden uses: Habitat shrub, informal screen, mixed native border and mid-storey planting; especially suited to sites reflecting Wallum / Sandy Heath, Wetlands / Swamps / Creek Margins.
Wildlife value: Melaleuca pachyphylla offers a strong nectar and/or pollen resource, typically with conspicuous or abundant flowers that support a broad pollinator community. Melaleuca pachyphylla provides a strong nectar resource for honeyeaters and other nectar-feeding birds. Melaleuca pachyphylla develops substantial, persistent structure that can provide excellent refuge, nesting or screening habitat.
Flowering and fruiting: Red or greenish bottlebrush flowers are followed by woody capsules along the stems.
Growth habit: Woody shrub or small tree with an informal native habit; indicative mature size 0.5–1.5 m × 0.8–1.5 m.
Cautions: Needs acidic, low-phosphorus conditions and may struggle in improved alkaline garden soil.