Bracelet Honey Myrtle
Melaleuca armillaris
NEMBA category
English: Bracelet Honey Myrtle, Drooping Melaleuca, Giant Honey Myrtle
Historical botanical names: Metrosideros armillaris
Synonyms: Myrtoleucodendron armillare
Melaleuca armillaris, commonly known as Bracelet Honey Myrtle, is a large evergreen shrub or small tree with drooping branches. It bears narrow, hooked-tip leaves and dense cylindrical spikes of cream‑to‑white, brush‑like flowers in spring and summer. The bark is rough, grey and papery, often peeling in strips, and the plant produces clusters of small woody capsules after flowering.
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Distinguishing features:
Narrow linear leaves with a distinct hooked tip
Papery, grey fissured bark peeling in strips
Cylindrical flower spikes of cream‑white flowers on older wood
Dense clusters of woody cup‑shaped capsules along stems
Origin:
Native to south‑eastern Australia (South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania), now naturalised and invasive in parts of South Africa.
Overall appearance:
Spreading shrub or small tree with drooping branches and dense foliage. Evergreen.
Height:
Up to 8 m
Leaves:
Linear to narrow‑oval
Aromatic when crushed
Glabrous except when young
Hooked tip
Length: 4.5–19 mm
Width: 0.8–4 mm
Alternate or decussate arrangement
Petiole: 1–2 mm long
Flowers:
Dense cylindrical spikes on older wood
Spike length: 30–70 mm
Spike diameter: 20–28 mm
Petals: 1.5–3 mm long
Staminal bundles: 5
Stamens per bundle: 8–18
Filaments: 3–7 mm
Fused claw: 5–6 mm
Flowering season:
Summer in South Africa
Fruits:
Woody capsules
Clustered along stems
Diameter: 3–5 mm
Orifice diameter: 2–4 mm
Bark:
Rough and fibrous
Grey, papery texture
Peeling in strips
Shallow fissures in older stems
Stems:
Young stems slightly hairy
Mature stems glabrous and fissured
Soil type:
Well‑drained sandy or loamy soils
Tolerates clay
Acid to alkaline pH
Withstands waterlogging and salt spray
Aspect:
Prefers full sun and tolerates coastal exposure
Uses:
Fast‑growing windbreak or screen
Used as a living fence
Provides nectar and shelter for birds and insects
Used in coastal gardens and landscaping
Ecology:
Fire-adapted with canopy-stored seed released after fire
Seeds can be water-dispersed
Distribution and habitat:
Invasive in Western Cape (including Cape Town) and Eastern Cape
Found along roadsides, coastal scrub, gardens, and riverbanks
Derivation of name:
Armillaris means "bracelet", referring to the fruit clusters encircling the branches
Historical aspects:
Introduced to South Africa as an ornamental shrub in the 20th century
Interesting facts:
The name "bracelet" myrtle comes from how the woody seed capsules ring the stems like bangles
It’s not actually yellow like “honey” – the flowers are creamy white
Although attractive, it spreads after fires and displaces indigenous plants
Birds and bees love it, but it can block streams with seed capsule litter
Friendly alternatives:
Common name
Scientific Name
Plant type:
Plant type
Plant family:
Plant family (derivation)