Browse plants / Myrtaceae
Snow-in-summer Melaleuca linariifolia
Also called Flax-leaved paperbark
When it flowers
- January, not flowering
- February, not flowering
- March, not flowering
- April, not flowering
- May, not flowering
- June, not flowering
- July, not flowering
- August, not flowering
- September, not flowering
- October, not flowering
- November, flowering
- December, flowering
Small paperbark tree covered in fluffy white flowers in early summer.
A small tree with papery white bark and a dense crown of narrow leaves. In late spring and early summer it is smothered in fluffy white flowers, hence its common name. Copes with wet and heavy soil.
In the garden
- Flowers
- Fluffy white flower spikes covering the crown.
- Leaves
- Narrow, stiff, blue-green leaves; thick, papery white bark.
- Attracts
- Birds, pollinating insects and butterflies
Growing conditions
- Climate
- Subtropical and temperate
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Sandy, loam and clay
- Drainage
- Copes with waterlogging
- Frost
- Moderate frost
- Water
- Some dry spells
- Coast
- Sheltered coastal gardens
Planting and care
- Grown from
- Seed and cuttings
Planting
Sun or part shade. Good in damp, heavy soil where other trees struggle.
Pruning
Little pruning needed. Lift lower branches to show off the bark.
Care
Water through long dry spells. Usually trouble-free; prune out tips webbed by sawfly larvae.
Where it comes from
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Order
- Myrtales
- Native to
- New South Wales and Queensland
- Natural range
- Swampy and creek-side ground in coastal Queensland and NSW.
Where to buy
Widely available.
We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.
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Further reading
- Melaleuca linariifolia on the Atlas of Living Australia (Atlas of Living Australia)
Native nurseries near you
An independent list of nurseries that specialise in Australian native plants. Nobody pays to be on it. Distances are approximate and in a straight line. Opening hours and stock vary, so check before you go.