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Cyathodes glauca

Common name:	Cheese Berry	Family:	Epacridaceae
Author:	Labill.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia - Tasmania.
Habitat:	Alpine and sub-alpine zones to 1000 metres[144].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	glauca = glaucous
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ericales. Epacris family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 1.5m. . It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked. A sweet mealy flesh[144].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a moist well-drained lime-free humus rich soil in a sheltered site in partial or dappled shade[11, 164, 200]. Plants are very susceptible to drought[200]. A good rock garden plant[11]. Slow growing[11].
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[200].
Plants have very fine root systems and great care must be taken when transplanting them[157].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in an ericaceous soil mix, February/March in a cold frame[164]. Do not exclude light[164]. Germination can take place within 1 - 2 months at 18° c but often takes as long as 3 - 5 years[200]. 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[175]. 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[200]. 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[200].
Air layering[200].
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.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[144] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
A very good pocket guide.

[157] Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0
A lovely book, written in order to encourage Australian gardeners to grow their native plants. A little bit of information for the plant project.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[175] Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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