melaleuca

UK: /ˌmɛləˈluːkə/ US: (mel′ə lo̅o̅′kə)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

mel•a•leu•ca  (mel′ə lo̅o̅′kə), n. 

1. Plant Biology any of various chiefly Australian shrubs or trees belonging to the genus Melaleuca, of the myrtle family, including the cajeput and several species of bottlebrush.

• Neo-Latin (Linnaeus), irregularly coinage from Greek mélā(s) black + leuké̄, feminine of leukós white; so called from its black trunk and white branches

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

melaleuca / ˌmɛləˈluːkə/ noun

1. any shrub or tree of the mostly Australian myrtaceous genus Melaleuca, found in sandy or swampy regions

Etymology: 19th Century: New Latin, from Greek melas black + leukos white, from its black trunk and white branches