Herb latin name: Melaleuca uncinata


Family: Myrtaceae (Myrtle Family)



Medicinal use of Melaleuca uncinata:

Pectoral. The leaves are chewed to relieve catarrh.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
2 m
(6 1/2 foot)

Scent:
Scented
Shrub

Habitat of the herb:

Usually found on sandy gravelly soils of fairly arid inland areas

Other uses of Melaleuca uncinata:

An essential oil is obtained from the leaves, it has a peppermint flavour and is used medicinally. Wood - hard, durable, apt to split on drying. The dried branches are used in brush fences.

Propagation of the herb:

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. Grow the plants on for at least their first winter in a greenhouse and then plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving the plants some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe lateral shoots with a heel, July/August in a frame.

Cultivation of Melaleuca uncinata:

Usually found on sandy gravelly soils of fairly arid inland areas

Known hazards of Melaleuca uncinata:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.