Swamp Paperbark or Melaleuca ericifolia is a tough, versatile all-round good guy. It's hard to go wrong with this plant even if gardening is not your thing. If you garden by neglect, forget to water or love your plants too much, and they die from too much water, Swamp Paperbark is the perfect plant for you.
Swamp Paperbark is an incredibly hardy, fast-growing plant, prized for its ornamental values. It has dense, bushy appearance with dark green, narrow needle-shaped leaves. The bark is pale and papery, peeling off in layers. Swamp Paperbark produces masses of creamy-white or pale yellow bottlebrush-like flower spikes, usually in spring and early summer. These flowers are fragrant and attract honeyeater birds, bees and insects. Its dense foliage makes ideal habitat.
Swamp Paperbark is able to withstand permanently wet soil, salt, coastal exposure, shade and frost. It can be seen growing along many rivers and coastal estuaries and swamps. If allowed to grow to full size it will reach 4 metres, and in swamps, may reach 5-6 metres and form dense thickets. However, it is very hardy in dry frosty areas, including the Midlands, where it can be found growing along some rivers as a shrub.
As Swamp Paperbark is very adaptable to a wide range of soils and conditions. It makes an excellent species for shelter, soil stabilization, salt areas, hedging, screening and wildlife habitat.
Aboriginal people used the bark of this tree for paintings, blankets, and roofing for shelters. The wood was used for spears, clubs and digging sticks. Oil from the leaves was used for medicine and nectar from the flowers was used to make sweet drinks.
If using the flowers to make a sweet tea, place flowers in a teapot and pour over boiling water and allow to steep for a few minutes. Dilute to taste. Older trees produce paperbark that can be used in wrapping meats and vegetables. This gives the food a rich smokey flavour.
Swamp Paperbark is an incredibly hardy, fast-growing plant, prized for its ornamental values. It has dense, bushy appearance with dark green, narrow needle-shaped leaves. The bark is pale and papery, peeling off in layers. Swamp Paperbark produces masses of creamy-white or pale yellow bottlebrush-like flower spikes, usually in spring and early summer. These flowers are fragrant and attract honeyeater birds, bees and insects. Its dense foliage makes ideal habitat.
Swamp Paperbark is able to withstand permanently wet soil, salt, coastal exposure, shade and frost. It can be seen growing along many rivers and coastal estuaries and swamps. If allowed to grow to full size it will reach 4 metres, and in swamps, may reach 5-6 metres and form dense thickets. However, it is very hardy in dry frosty areas, including the Midlands, where it can be found growing along some rivers as a shrub.
As Swamp Paperbark is very adaptable to a wide range of soils and conditions. It makes an excellent species for shelter, soil stabilization, salt areas, hedging, screening and wildlife habitat.
Aboriginal people used the bark of this tree for paintings, blankets, and roofing for shelters. The wood was used for spears, clubs and digging sticks. Oil from the leaves was used for medicine and nectar from the flowers was used to make sweet drinks.
If using the flowers to make a sweet tea, place flowers in a teapot and pour over boiling water and allow to steep for a few minutes. Dilute to taste. Older trees produce paperbark that can be used in wrapping meats and vegetables. This gives the food a rich smokey flavour.
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