"Shrub or tree to 15 m high with hard, fissured bark. Leaves alternate, narrow-ovate to ovate, 10–28 mm long, 1.5–3 mm wide..." (PlantNET) 

Of value to seed collectors may be the following by Val Hando in her book, "Wildflowers of Southeast Queensland", where in reference to Melaleuca lanceolata she noted, "Easily confused with Melaleuca bracteata which has slightly twisted leaves that are broader at the and taper to a point."

Of further interest to seed collectors, the morphology of M. bracteata appears to vary with its distribution. Further inland in Queensland, it often grows away from creeks and rivers, instead being seen on heavy soils which are melon-holed. It is in these areas we find superior accessibility for seed collection and such sites will also be favourable because some adaptation to salinity may be expected here. Salt tolerance of M. bracteata is supported by the paper, "Performance of twelve selected Australian tree species on a saline site in southeast Queensland" (G.M. Dunn, D.W. Taylor, M.R. Nester, T.B. Beetson 1994). The inland variations are generally stockier although their eventual height remains considerable and comparable to coastal specimens. Many of the inland trees are low regrowth (<8m) having being cleared originally for cropping and grazing.

Seed collectors producing Melaleuca bracteata seed on the melon-holed country should be careful not confuse it with Melaleuca lanceolata. In southern Queensland the two taxa are found together in these places.

PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System). Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au [Accessed: Dec 26, 2020]

https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Melaleuca~bracteata

G.M. Dunn, D.W. Taylor, M.R. Nester, T.B. Beetson, Performance of twelve selected Australian tree species on a saline site in southeast Queensland. Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 70, Issues 1–3, 1994, Pages 255-264