Melaleuca viridiflora

Melaleuca viridiflora, commonly known as broad-leaved paperbark or niaouli, is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) native to northern Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and adjacent islands. It typically reaches 10 to 20 meters in height, with a crooked or leaning trunk clothed in characteristic thick, soft, papery, layered cream-to-whitish bark that peels in large flexible sheets. The alternate leaves are large for the genus, broadly elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 7 to 22 centimeters long, leathery, with five to nine longitudinal parallel veins and a strongly aromatic, camphoraceous fragrance when crushed due to high concentrations of volatile oils, particularly 1,8-cineole. Spectacular bottlebrush-like flower spikes, 4 to 14 centimeters long, bear numerous flowers with prominent yellow-green, cream, red, or pink stamens grouped in bundles. Small woody capsular fruits are clustered along the older branches. The species grows in seasonally wet lowlands, swamp margins, and savanna woodlands.