Practical
Plants

Cyathodes fraseri

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
slow
Height
0.15 m
Spread
0.3 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

Fruit - raw or cooked[11][2][3]. Sweet and juicy[1][4][8]. Contains up to 24% dry weight of oil[6]. (does this refer to the seed?[K]).

Plant part
Fruit

Material uses

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

A most attractive ground cover plant for the winter garden[10].

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Soil surface

Ground cover

Environment

Range
Australia and New Zealand.
Habitat
Coastal dunes, lowland to sub-alpine open grassland and rocky places on North, South and Stewart Islands in New Zealand[13].
Light
partial sun
Shade tolerance
permanent shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - surface sow in an ericaceous soil mix, February/March in a cold frame[7]. Do not exclude light[7]. Germination can take place within 1 - 2 months at 18°c but often takes as long as 3 - 5 years[12]. Scarification will reduce the germination time and 2 or 3 periods of 4 - 6 weeks cold stratification alternated with 4 weeks warm stratification can also help[9]. Perhaps sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe would also be beneficial[K].The seedlings can be very slow to form roots and need to be potted up with great care[12]. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first 2 growing seasons and, when large enough, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Neither easy nor reliable[12]. Air layering[12]. Division of the plants as they come into growth in the spring. We have found it best not to dig up the main clump, but to tease out small divisions from the sides of the plant. Make sure that these are well rooted and pot them up in light shade in a greenhouse. Grow them on for their first summer in the greenhouse and plant them out in late spring, after the last expected frosts.

Cultivation

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

Requires a moist well-drained lime-free humus rich soil in a sheltered site in partial or dappled shade[2][7][12]. Plants are very susceptible to drought[12]. A good rock garden plant[2]. Slow growing[2]. This plant is not very hardy in Britain though it succeeds outdoors in the milder areas of the country[1]. Plants grow best in areas with moderate winters and cool moist summers[12]. Plants have very fine root systems and great care must be taken when transplanting them[5].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  3. Laing. and Blackwell. Plants of New Zealand. Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd 1907-00-00

    ↩

  4. Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-19-558229-2

    ↩

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

    ↩

  6. Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945-00-00

    ↩

  7. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-340-508302

    ↩

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

    ↩

  10. Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2

    ↩

  11. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  12. 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

  13. Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961-00-00

    ↩

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