Practical
Plants

Styphelia triflora

Pink Fivecorner

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Styphelia 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 or cooked[10][2][3]. A sweetish flesh but the seed is large[6][7]. The fruit is about 8 - 10mm long[7].

Plant part
Fruit

Environment

Range
Australia - New South Wales, Queensland.
Habitat
Sandy soils in coastal and mountain heathlands[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - probably best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. The seed can be very slow to germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out in early summer. Cuttings can be taken though it is usually hard to find sufficient material[5].

Cultivation

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

Requires a peaty sandy soil and very careful watering[1]. Succeeds in poor soils[7]. Plants tolerate temperatures down to about -7°c in Australian gardens[4], though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens because of our cooler summers and longer colder and wetter winters. Plants are only likely to succeed outdoors in the mildest parts of the country[8].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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

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

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

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  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2

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

  10. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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