It usually occurs as a large shrub but under ideal conditions can grow into a tree up to 10 m (30 ft) tall.

Flowering occurs from spring to early summer and is followed by fruit which are more or less spherical to oval or barrel-shaped, about 3 mm (0.1 in) in diameter, sparsely arranged along the branches.

[2][3][4] Melaleuca bracteata was first described in 1858 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae from a specimen collected near Moreton Bay in Queensland.

[5][6] The specific epithet (bracteata) is derived from the Latin word bractea, meaning "bract".

[4] Black tea-tree occurs in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and from north-east Queensland southwards to the Macleay River in New South Wales.