Melaleuca viminalis (Sol. ex Gaertn.) Byrnes, Austrobaileya 2: 75. 1984; Callistemon viminalis (Sol. ex Gaertn.) G. Don, Hort. Brit. 1: 197. 1830; Metrosiders viminalis Sol. ex Gaertn., Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 171. 1788.

Shrubs or small trees, up to 8-10 m high; bark brown, vertically striated; branches generally pendent, young shoots and inflorescences silky tomentose. Leaves alternate, simple, exstipulate, crowded towards tips of branchlets, when young silky-tomentose; petiole 2-3 mm long, flattened, villous when young; lamina 3-7 cm x 3-7 mm, linear to narrow-elliptic with one side straighter than the other, narrowed at both the ends, margin entire, apex acute to shortly acuminate or sharply pointed but not rigid, midvein and marginal veins conspicuous, lateral veins faint, more or less distinctly pinnate, lamina gland-dotted. Flowers bracteate, bisexual, actinomorphic in terminal spikes; spikes 3-10 cm long and 30- 50 mm in diameter, the branches soon growing through spikes. Bracts leaf-like, 2-2.7 cm x 3-4 mm, lanceolate, caducous. Pedicels ca. 2.5 mm long. Hypanthium (calyx tube) ca. 4 mm long, adnate to ovary, campanulate, villous outside; calyx lobes 5, 2 mm x 2 mm, more or less orbicular, obtuse, margin ciliate. Petals 5, free, 4-6 mm x 2.5-4 mm, suborbicular, greenish yellow, concave, obtuse, glandular, deciduous. Stamens numerous, monoadelphous, filaments connate into a ring at base and shed as a unit; filaments ca. 2 cm long, bright red, exserted; anthers red, very small, 1 mm x 0.5 mm, oblong, dark, versatile, dark red Ovary inferior, 3 (-4)-locular, ovules many, placentation axile; style terminal, up to 2 cm long; stigma simple. Fruit a woody cup-shaped capsule, ca. 0.5 mm long and nearly as much across the truncate apex, truncate office usually open, persistent calyx not much enlarged. Seeds numerous, small.

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