20 May 2005 Page 1 of 2 

Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

FACT SHEET: PAPERBARK TREE

Paperbark Tree 

Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake 

Myrtle family (Myrtaceae) 

NATIVE RANGE 

Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia 

DESCRIPTION 

Melaleuca, also known as paperbark tree, punk tree, cajeput tree, and white 

bottlebrush tree, is a subtropical tree in the eucalyptus family, with spongy, 

white, paper-like bark that can grow to 50 feet in height. The 1-2 inch long, 

gray-green, oval leaves of paperbark tree are arranged alternately along the 

stem and smell of camphor when crushed. Flowers are white, brush-like spikes 

and the fruits are small, woody, button-like seed capsules. 

ECOLOGICAL THREAT 

Paperbark tree is an aggressive invader that spreads rapidly, converting native 

plant communities such as sawgrass marshes, wet prairies, and aquatic 

sloughs into impenetrable paperbark thickets. In a single year, one paperbark 

tree can produce a dense island hammock nearly 600 feet in diameter. Its 

greatest threat is to the Florida Everglades ecosystem, which faces extreme 

and possibly irreversible alteration as a result of intrusion by paperbark tree 

and another troublesome exotic, Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius). 

DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES 

The distribution of paperbark tree in the U.S. is currently confined to southern 

Florida, where it occupies an estimated several million acres, primarily within 

the Florida Everglades system. 

HABITAT IN THE UNITED STATES 

Paperbark tree tolerates most subtropical ecosystems, preferring wet to 

intermittently wet sites. 

BACKGROUND 

Introduced into southern Florida in the early 1900s, paperbark tree was widely 

planted for landscaping and for "swamp drying." 

BIOLOGY & SPREAD 

About three years after germination, paperbark trees begin to produce and store copius numbers of seeds in closed 

woody capsules. The seeds are stored until some form of stress, such as frost, fire or human- induced injury, including 

herbicide, causes the capsules to open. A mature tree can produce more than a million seeds per year and store an 

estimated 20 million. Seeds of paperbark tree are dispersed by wind and water. 

MANAGEMENT OPTIONS 

Restoration of areas infested with paperbark tree requires a well planned, long term commitment to elimination of all 

paperbark trees from the site and prevention of reinfestation. The age and extent of an infestation, the availability of 

people and other resources, and the proximity to open water or wetlands will dictate the type of management best suited 

for each site. 
20 May 2005 Page 2 of 2 

Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

Manual 

Seedlings can be pulled by hand, especially when the soil has dried out some, small to medium-sized trees can be 

pushed over, and larger trees may be cut. Resprouting will likely occur after cutting or hand- pulling, requiring follow-up 

removals or treatment with herbicide. 

Chemical 

Herbicides are usually needed for extensive infestations and mature paperbark trees and may be applied to freshly cut 

stumps or to girdled trunks. However, as noted previously, herbicide use will cause paperbark tree to release large caches 

of stored seeds. 

Biological 

Biological control may offer some help in management of this aggressive invader. Several species of Australian snout 

beetles are being released or evaluated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The beetles are specific to Melaleuca and 

feed on its shoots, reducing the plant's ability to reproduce. 

USE PESTICIDES WISELY: Always read the entire pesticide label carefully, follow all mixing and application instructions and wear all 

recommended personal protective gear and clothing. Contact your state department of agriculture for any additional pesticide use 

requirements, restrictions or recommendations. 

NOTICE: mention of pesticide products on this page does not constitute endorsement of any material.

CONTACTS 

For more information on the management of melaleuca, please contact: 

• Francois Laroche, francois.laroche at sfwmd.gov 

OTHER LINKS 

• http://www.invasive.org/search/action.cfm?q=Melaleuca%20quinquenervia 

• http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/melaleuca_quinquener

via.htm

AUTHOR 

Jil M. Swearingen, National Park Service, Washington, DC 

PHOTOGRAPH 

Jim Snyder 

Barry A. Rice, The Nature Conservancy, Davis, CA 

REFERENCES 

Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. 1991. Exotic Woody Plant Control, Ken Langeland, ed. 

Mazzotti, F.J., T.D. Center, F.A. Dray, and D. Thayer. Ecological Consequences of 

Invasion by Melaleuca quinquenervia in South Florida Wetlands: Paradise 

Damaged, not Lost. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW123 

Randall, J.M. and J. Marinelli. 1996. Invasive Plants: Weeds of the Global Garden. 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Club, Inc., Handbook No. 149. Pp. 36 

Schultz, D.P., T.W. Barnes, and J.M. Kleen. 1987. Melaleuca control at Loxahatchee 

National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, GA and 

Boynton Beach, FL. 

Swearingen, J. 2009. WeedUS Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United 

States: Melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia). http://www.invasive.org/weedus/subject.html?sub=2783. 

USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 

70874-4490 USA.