Thank you to Cameron for nominating this large shady tree as our Plant of the Month. Its abundant flowers caught his attention at Bushland Beach early in October.
Melaleuca dealbata has extra visual appeal when it puts on a flush of new growth, often around the same time as flowering. The outer layer of new leaves, each covered in a mix of erect silky hairs and short stiff hairs, gives the whole tree a beautiful silver-blue-grey sheen that is the basis of its common name Cloudy tea tree.
For more details, see our species page for Melaleuca dealbata..