Melaleuca penicula
Introduction '''''Melaleuca penicula''''' is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a rare species only known from the Fitzgerald River National Park and resembles ''Melaleuca eximia'' with its spikes of red flowers but its leaves and stamen bundles are different.
Description ''Melaleuca penicula'' is an erect, woody shrub growing to  tall. Its leaves are arranged in alternating pairs (decussate) so that there are four rows of leaves along the stem. The leaves are long,  wide, narrow egg-shaped and tapering to a point. Young leaves are covered with soft, silky hairs. The stalk of the leaf is attached to the underside of the leaf and the upper surface of the leaf faces the stem. The oil glands are distinct.The flowers are red to scarlet and arranged in spikes up to  wide and contain about 40 groups of flowers in threes. The petals are about  long and fall off as the flower opens. The outer surface of the floral cup (the hypanthium) is usually hairy and there are five bundles of stamens around the flower, each with 10 to 14 stamens. Flowering over a long period from October to February and is followed by fruit which are woody capsules, about  long in tight cylindrical clusters.
Taxonomy and naming ''Melaleuca penicula'' was first formally described as a subspecies of ''Melaleuca coccinea'' by Kirsten Cowley in 1990 from a specimen collected in the North Fitzgerald River National Park but later elevated to species rank by Lyndley Craven and Brendan Lepschi in 1999.The specific epithet is a Latin word meaning "brush" referring to the brush-like stamen bundles.
Distribution and habitat ''Melaleuca penicula'' occurs in the Fitzgerald River National Park in the Esperance Plains biogeographic region where it grows  in sandy soils near granite outcrops.
Conservation ''Melaleuca papillosa'' is listed as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife meaning that it is rare or near threatened.
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