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Melaleuca quinquenervia

CAJEPUT

Of the 200-plus varieties of Melaleuca in Australia, the cajeput is the one most commonly cultivated, so much so that Australian sources refer to it as the “quintessential” melaleuca. Called broad-leafed paperbark Down Under, this tree has gray-green, leathery, 2- to 4-inch oval leaves and grows quickly to 20–30 feet. The tree’s spongy white bark can easily be peeled off in sheets and is used as a lining for hanging baskets. The yellowish-white flowers bloom in clusters from June to August, but they are not as showy as those of the flaxleaf paperbark (Melaleuca linariifolia ), a close relative that is also popular in San Francisco. The cup-shaped 3/16 -inch seed capsules form in clusters 2–3 inches long, and they can persist on branches for a year or longer. Cajeputs are well adapted to San Francisco’s conditions, tolerating poor and even salty soil and strong winds.

LOCATION: North side of 16th St. at Wisconsin St. on Potrero Hill; also Bryant St. (east side) between 18th and Mariposa Sts. in the Mission