Evaluation of Mechanical and Chemical Methods for Control of Melaleuca quinquenervia in Southern Florida. Wetlands Research Programs

Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake, common names melaleuca, cajeput, or punk tree, is native to the Australian region. Trees were first planted in Southern Florida early in the 20th century. Starting in the late 1940s, melaleuca was planted by U.S. Army Engineer personnel at Lake Okeechobee, Florida, to serve as wind barriers and to provide protection for the levees surrounding the lake. The trees have now spread to wetland habitats and were found by a 1979 survey to grow along 88.5 km (53.1 miles) of the 175km (105 miles) of levee road and to cover approximately 96.8 ha (242 acres) in these perimeter stands (Stocker l982a). Additionally, Stocker found that 'in the lake proper, melaleuca is found in approximately 420 ha (1,050 acres), where it offers as isolated individuals and as dense colonies (heads) up to 0.6 ha (1.5 acres) in size.' This distribution of trees was approximately 0.3 percent of the lake acreage.