'YILBARRA' BROOM HONEYMYRTLE (Melaleuca uncinata) Seeds

Melaleuca uncinata, commonly known as broombush, broom honeymyrtle or brushwood, is a plant in the paperbark family native to southern Australia. It is harvested from the wild, and grown in plantations, for broombush fencing. The Noongar names for the plant are kwytyat and yilbarra.

Grows in mallee, woodland and dry sclerophyll forest, usually on sandy soils; widespread, often forming dense stands. Requires a fertile, well-drained moisture retentive lime-free soil in full sun.

Shrub or tree, 0.5-5 m high. Fl. white-cream-yellow, Feb to Mar or Jul to Dec.

Melaleuca uncinata is also believed to be the only known host of the rare and threatened Rhizanthella Gardneri or, 'underground orchid' 

Bush Food: Honey production

Bush Medicine: Pectoral. The leaves are chewed to relieve catarrh

An essential oil is obtained from the leaves, it has a peppermint flavour and is used medicinally.

Germination: Seed - surface sow in spring or autumn onto a pot of permanently moist soil in a warm greenhouse. Emmerse in 5cm of water and do not water from overhead. Grow on until the seedlings are 0.5cm tall then remove from the water and pot up a week later. Seedlings are liable to damp off when grown this way, sowing the seed thinly, good ventilation and hygiene are essential for success.

Note: This species is provisionally classified schedule 1, Regulation 24.2 under the Sewerage Act. Written approval is required prior to planting in streets or roads. It should not be planted closer than two metres to any sewer main or connection.