 In Australia, "Melaleuca" is the third most diverse plant genus with up to 300 species.The genus "Callistemon" was raised by Robert Brown, who noted its similarity to "Melaleuca", distinguishing it only on the basis of whether the stamens are free of each other, or joined in bundles.Botanists in the past, including Ferdinand von Mueller and Lyndley Craven have proposed uniting the two genera but the matter is not decided.