Hi everyone- I just registered for this forum because of the discussion on Tea Tree. And, to thank Linda in Rockport for mentioning me. As for distillation, it's not dangerous with the right equipment. I have a little steam distiller that fits on a table top and makes about 1 liter or so of hydrosol. I do not separate the oil out because it would be such a small amount of oil. Hydrosols are useful for all sorts of things: skin care, hair care, wounds, aromatherapy.. lavender hydrosol makes a lovely ironing water... if you iron any clothes, that is! Texaskelly- if you've never been to the Farmers' Market in Katy at La Centerra on Saturday mornings, it's a nice place to spend an hour or so. Lots of veggies, baked goods, olive oil, honey, eggs, handmade soaps, etc.

Guys I have a couple of melaleucas growing on the nature strip which are looking VERY sick. Every part of the plants, leaves, branches and trunk, are covered in sooty mould. I knew that this was indicative of sap suckers, eg lerps, but, apart from the mould, the leaves were unmarked. I did notice, though, that the branches and twigs looked 'mottled', but just put it down to uneven mould. Last weekend, while having another search for the problem, I realised that the 'mottling' was in fact mealy bugs ensconced in the cracks and crevices of the bark. I know they are sap suckers but to feed through the bark and not the leaves I find very strange. What is the best way to get rid of them, quickly and then prevent them from returning? Any help and advise would be VERY welcome. Thanks all LOL Fof

Melaleucas have been problematic in parts of Florida because they have become invasive, spreading particularly well into the vast Florida Everglades. The wet summers and dry winters have allowed them to take over. A similar problem occurs with many of the species in parts of South Africa, where they have invaded large areas and continue to spread. Here in California with our Mediterranean rainfall pattern and dry summers, they have not tended to spread into the wild or become problems, even in summer irrigated gardens. We certainly don't grow the vast amount of species that exist in Australia, but they are very popular trees and shrubs in much of California, and are almost ubiquitous in shopping malls of Southern California, where M. quinquenervia in particular is much used. Several species of Melaleuca were also used to help stabilize sand dunes when San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was first built at the turn of the last century. They are generally considered relatively trouble free plants here in California, but most aren't hardy enough to be used away from the coast. Among their attractive qualitites here are nearly year round or winter bloom, and their ability to survive and thrive on zero supplemental irrigation once established. However, several species are extremely intolerant of drying out as container plants, and require careful nurturing once planted until they root in. I have seen species such as M. linariifolia quickly die if not watered daily as container plants, and they do not revive if allowed to dry out. Same thing with Leptospermum scoparium here. We tend to think of them as all being very drought tolerant under our conditions, so it is rather surprising to know that many grow in seasonally inundated areas in habitat.

The foliage and flowers first made me think Melaleuca incana but even 70 years of growth couldn't lead to a tree the propoprtions of which are shown in your last photo. So, by its growth habit, I'll guess a clear white-flowered version of Melaleuca ericifolia. Joe