Paperbark (Melaleuca leucadendra)

Kayuputih or broad leaved paperbark or long-leaved paperbark or white paperbark (Melaleuca leucadendra) is a species of plant in the Myrtaceae, a large tree, growing to more than 20 meters long, branching, trunk covered with thick bark, white, papery, peeling, flowering almost any time of the year.

M. leucadendra has young leaves and branches covered with fine, short hairs, white when young but glabrous when mature. The leaves are alternately arranged, 75-270 mm long, 6.5-40 mm wide, flat, narrow round or lance-shaped, often curved or sickle-shaped, pointed tip and 5-9 veins.

The flowers are spike-shaped, white or cream or greenish at the tips of the branches that continue to grow after flowering, sometimes on the sides of the branches or in the axils of the upper leaves. Each spike is up to 35 mm in diameter, up to 80 mm long and contains 7-22 flower clusters in three sections.

The petals are 3-4 mm wide and fall off as soon as the flowers open. The stamens are arranged in five bundles around the flower and each bundle contains 5-12 stamens. The fruit is capsule-shaped, woody, 3.9-4.9 mm long, in loose clusters along the stem.

The bark is used to build waterproof huts, wrap food before it is cooked in the oven, wrap dead bodies. Very large tree trunks are used to make canoes. The leaves are used to treat respiratory tract infections. Flowers for making sweet drinks.

Various essential oils can be distilled. The two most common chemotypes are based on methyl eugenol and E-methyl isoeugenol.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Subfamily: Myrtoideae
Tribe: Melaleuceae
Genus: Melaleuca
Species: Melaleuca leucadendra

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