Melaleuca cuticularis, commonly known as the saltwater paperbark is a tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to the south-west of Western Australia.

The trunk of M. cuticularis is covered in a pale papery bark and connects to rigid and torturous branches.

[3][4] The flowers are in groups of three, white or cream in colour, located on the ends of the branches and surrounded by overlapping brown bracts.

M. cuticularis flowers between the months of September and January[5] and the fruit which follow are woody capsules appearing star-shaped when viewed end-on.

[7][8] The specific epithet (cuticulata) is from the Latin cuticula, meaning "pertaining to the cuticle", referring to the numerous strips of skin-like bark coming away from the trunk and branches.