Practical
Plants

Cyathodes glauca

Cheese Berry

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

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Taxonomy and growth

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

Uses

Edible uses

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

Fruit - raw or cooked. A sweet mealy flesh[2].

Plant part
Fruit

Environment

Range
Australia - Tasmania.
Habitat
Alpine and sub-alpine zones to 1000 metres[2].
Shade tolerance
partial shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
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[4]. Do not exclude light[4]. Germination can take place within 1 - 2 months at 18°c but often takes as long as 3 - 5 years[6]. 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[5]. 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[6]. 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[6]. Air layering[6]. 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[1][4][6]. Plants are very susceptible to drought[6]. A good rock garden plant[1]. Slow growing[1]. This species is not very hardy in Britain, though it might succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country. Otherwise it is best grown in a cold greenhouse. Plants are hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens because of our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. Plants are said to grow best in areas with moderate winters and cool moist summers[6]. Plants have very fine root systems and great care must be taken when transplanting them[3].

References

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

  6. 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

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