Practical
Plants

Cyathodes juniperina

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
Growth rate
slow
Height
2 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

Fruit - raw or cooked[6]. Rather dry, it is only 76% water which is low for a fruit. It contains (dry weight) 3.1% protein, 18.3% sugar and 23.7 % lipids[3]. The fruit is about 7mm in diameter[7].

Plant part
Fruit

Environment

Range
Australia - Tasmania and New Zealand.
Habitat
Forest and scrub from the coast to the montane zone on North, South and Stewart Islands of New Zealand[8][3][7].
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[2]. Do not exclude light[2]. Germination can take place within 1 - 2 months at 18°c but often takes as long as 3 - 5 years[7]. 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[4]. 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[7]. 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[7]. Air layering[7]. 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][2][7]. Succeeds in poor soils[6]. Plants are very susceptible to drought[7]. A good rock garden plant[1]. Slow growing. This species is not very hardy in Britain, it might succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country otherwise it is best grown in a cold greenhouse[7]. Plants grow best in areas with moderate winters and cool moist summers[7]. Plants have very fine root systems and great care must be taken when transplanting them. C. robusta is closely related to this species and is sometimes more generous with its small white fruits[5].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  6. Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-207-14383-8

    ↩1↩2

  7. 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

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

    ↩

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