Practical
Plants

Astroloma pinifolium

Pine Heath

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Astroloma genus in the family Epacridaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Height
1 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit - raw. Sweet and succulent when fully ripe[3]. The fruit is about 5mm in diameter[3].

Plant part
Fruit

Environment

Range
Australia - Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.
Habitat
In heathland and open dry sclerophyll forests on sandy soils[3][4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed has a hard coat and some form of scarification is necessary or the seed can take up to 5 years to germinate. Two or three periods each of 4 - 6 weeks cold stratification can reduce the time taken to germinate[2]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. When large enough, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Cuttings of firm young tip growths[3]. It is very difficult to obtain suitable wood[1] and the cuttings are slow to root[3].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in most well-drained soils[3]. Established plants are moderately drought tolerant[3]. This species can survive frosts in Britain, particularly if the roots are well mulched, but they are more safely grown in a cold greenhouse in this country[3]. They will probably be all right in sheltered coastal gardens[3]. The roots are prone to fungal infection, so the plant must be grown in a well-drained soil[3]. The plants have a very fine root system which makes transplanting difficult[1].

References

  1. Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988-00-00 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0

    ↩1↩2

  2. Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991-00-00

    ↩

  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10

  4. Carolin. R. & Tindale. M. Flora of the Sydney Region Reed. Australia. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0730104001

    ↩

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