Melaleuca leucadendra, commonly known as weeping paperbark, long-leaved paperbark or white paperbark is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is widespread in northern Australia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and the Torres Strait Islands. It is a tree, sometimes growing to more than 20 m with a trunk covered with thick, white, papery bark and weeping thinner branches. It has a long flowering season, can flower at almost any time of the year and is often grown as a tree in parks and on roadsides. It was the first melaleuca to be described and was described from a specimen growing in Indonesia.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Compounds documented for Melaleuca leucadendra across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
💊 Medicinal use documented
Compound class profile5 classes
Gallotannins19
Aromadendrane sesquiterpenoids15
Lupane triterpenoids12
Ursane and Taraxastane triterpenoids10
Oleanane triterpenoids7
Documented compounds165 total
Compound
Class
Amount
Source
EO
13,000 ppm
DukesPhytochem
SILICA
9,500 ppm
DukesPhytochem
CINEOLE
8,450 ppm
DukesPhytochem
3,5-DIMETHYL-4,6-DI-O-METHYLPHLORACETOPHENONE
1,300 ppm
DukesPhytochem
05DNA & barcoding7 specimens
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Melaleuca leucadendra has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens7
Marker genes3
GenBank sequences10
eDNA detections7
Countries2
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★rbcL3★ITS7★ITS2
plant barcodefungal barcode
06Genome at a glanceCCDB · GoaT
The complete instruction manualMelaleuca leucadendra carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Genome size847 192 500 bp
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
BACTERIUM Carsonella ruddii0.00016 Gb
FUNGUS0.04 Gb
INSECT0.25 Gb
THIS GENOME Melaleuca leucadendra0.85 Gb
HUMAN3.2 Gb
WHEAT17 Gb
FERN Tmesipteris160.45 Gb
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
How far back this lineage goes — and how we know. Everything here is measured in Ma, short for “mega-annum”: millions of years ago. The chart reads left to right like a calendar of the Earth, from the deep past on the left to today at the right edgetop to bottom like a core drilled through the Earth, from the deep past at the top down to today at the bottom.
At a glance
DNA clock origin1.43 Ma TimeTree
When this lineage existed
How to read this: the coloured strip along the bottomdown the left is the geological calendar — the standard epochs (Pliocene, Pleistocene…) every museum uses, shown so you can see which chapter of Earth's history this lineage lived in. This lineage is a young one, so the strip is zoomed in to epochs — the finer subdivisions inside a period. The orange marker is the DNA clock: DNA accumulates mutations at a roughly steady rate, so comparing this species' DNA with its relatives estimates when the lineage split off — independently of any fossil.
DNA clock origin
08Occurrence & distribution
Record type4 031 records
Wild obs. + sensor2 082
Museum / vouchered1 605
Cultivated / captive9
Other335
Origin
Native143
Introduced1
Range
Area of Occupancy AOO9 552 km²
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy95% within 1 km
≤100 m 780≤1 km 40≤10 km 35>10 km 9
864 georeferenced · 1 218 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor2 082
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy42% within 1 km
≤100 m 206≤1 km 263≤10 km 536>10 km 125
1 130 georeferenced · 475 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence1 605
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Coordinate accuracy100% within 1 km
≤1 km 1
1 georeferenced · 8 without coordinates
Open the mapnot free-living9
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions41 of 78 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Canberra, AU
312
Brisbane, AU
305
Palmerston, AU
187
Mount Annan, AU
119
Smithfield, AU
110
Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record
108
Kensington, AU
73
Kew, GB
28
Taipei, TW
26
James Cook Townsvillelocation not on record
14
TAFORI-LSRClocation not on record
13
Tampa, US
11
John T. Waterhouse Herbariumlocation not on record
10
Armidale, AU
9
Antiguo Cuscatlán, SV
7
Ivano-Frankivsk, UA
7
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
7
Adelaide, AU
7
Baroda, IN
6
BGPAlocation not on record
6
Istituto Agrario Castelnuovolocation not on record
6
Saint Louis, US
5
MeiseBGlocation not on record
5
Taipei, TW
4
Leiden University Medical Centerlocation not on record
4
Taipei, TW
4
Berlin, DE
4
BAYLUlocation not on record
3
UFOPlocation not on record
3
Honolulu, US
3
Guiyang, CN
3
Guangzhou, CN
3
Hobart, AU
3
TAIElocation not on record
3
Moscow State Universitylocation not on record
2
BISHlocation not on record
2
Beijing, CN
2
Bronx, US
2
San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record
2
IPA/SPlocation not on record
2
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
2
UTFPR-CPlocation not on record
2
UFSMlocation not on record
2
UFMSlocation not on record
1
Chaguaramas, TT
1
Yaoundé, CM
1
Rotorua, NZ
1
UnBlocation not on record
1
Instituto do Meio Ambientelocation not on record
1
Campo Mourão, BR
1
Brasília, BR
1
Long Beach, US
1
EL PASO, US
1
Departamento de Sistematica e Ecologialocation not on record
1
IFANlocation not on record
1
Universidad de El Salvadorlocation not on record
1
WAGlocation not on record
1
Guilin, CN
1
Pondicherry, IN
1
Logan, US
1
Chicago, US
1
Instituto de Investigaciones Botánicas y Zoológicas - Prof. Rafael M. Moscoso, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingolocation not on record
1
Museo de Historia Natural de El Salvadorlocation not on record
1
Embrapa Agrobiology Diazothrophic Microbial Culture Collectionlocation not on record
1
St. Augustine, TT
1
Brasília, BR
1
DOI/NPS, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Sitelocation not on record
1
ASUlocation not on record
1
Plocation not on record
1
Paris, FR
1
Wellington, NZ
1
Mexico City, MX
1
CMULlocation not on record
1
Chapingo, MX
1
PUC-RSlocation not on record
1
UNIVASFlocation not on record
1
IPHAMETRAlocation not on record
1
Cenargenlocation not on record
1
78 institutions · 1 471 of 1 605 vouchered records shown · 132 without an institution code
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
09Environmental DNA7 detections
Where the DNA of Melaleuca leucadendra was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found7
Studies independent surveys1
Countries1
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 7 detections have coordinates
Open the map1 country0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median26.7 °C 26.7–26.7
Seasonal swing summer↔winter7.60 °C
Max temp (day)32.5 °C
Min temp (night)21.3 °C
Precipitation110 mm/mo
Air humidity53.2 %
Moisture balance-57.6 mm/mo
Vapour deficit1,637 Pa
Wind speed2.90 m/s
Cloud cover41.6 %
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 1 detection point · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation10 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility4 031 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI7 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics7 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
dukesphytochemcompounds
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
WikidataWikimedia Foundationstructured facts↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗