Melaleuca leucadendra

Melaleuca leucadendra, or Melaleuca leucadendron, is a tree belonging to the Melaleuca genus. The common name, Cajeput Tree, is derived from old Indonesian spelling: kaju putih - meaning "white wood". The actual Malay name of this tree is "gelam", being the namesake of the Kampong Glam district in Singapore.


Melaleuca leucadendra is widely distributed in northern parts of Australia (Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland) and is found even further north in the Solomon Islands and on New Guinea in Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea.[1] It has also been used as a street tree in Hong Kong.[2]

The tree has thick spongy bark, similar to the Broad-leaf paperbark Tea Tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia)'. However, the foliage of Melaleuca leucadendra is of a brighter green and has a slightly weeping habit.[1]


Cajuput oil can be distilled from the tree's leaves.


Melaleuca leucadendra is cultivated as an ornamental tree for parks and gardens. It is also used as a screen or windbreak. It tolerates dry conditions.


  1. ^ a b "Burke's Backyard Archives 1998 - Weeping Paperbark". 
  2. ^ Jim, C. Y. (1986). "Street trees in high-density urban Hong Kong". Journal of Arboriculture (International Society of Arboriculture) 12 (10): 257–263. Retrieved 12 August 2012. 


Source: Wikipedia


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