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Cyathodes parviflora

Common name:	Pink Mountain Berry	Family:	Epacridaceae
Author:	(Andrews.)Allan.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Leucopogon parviflorus (Andrews.), Cyathodes richei, Cyathodes parvifolia
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania. New Zealand.
Habitat:	Drier rocky slopes to 1200 metres[200]. Usually found on sandy or rocky seacoasts in Australia[154].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Styphelia parviflora[G]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	flora = flowered; parviflora = small flowered;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ericales. Epacris family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 1m at a slow rate. . It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 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. Pleasantly sweet and juicy but it has a large seed[144]. A delightful lemony flavour[193]. The fruit is about 5mm wide[193].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Wood.

Wood - tough and hard[154].

Cultivation details

Requires a moist well-drained lime-free humus rich soil in a sheltered site in partial or dappled shade. Plants are very susceptible to drought[200]. A good rock garden plant. Slow growing.
There is some doubt in my mind over the correct spelling of this species. The RHS dictionary has an entry on C. parviflora from New Zealand which also occupies rocky habitats, it is possible that C parvifolia is just a mis-spelling of C. parviflora or vice versa.
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. 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 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.

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in ericaceous soil, February/March in a cold frame. Do not exclude light. Germination can take place within 1 - 2 months at 18°c but often takes 3 - 5 years. 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. Perhaps sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe would also be beneficial. The seedlings can be very slow to form roots and need to be potted up with great care. Grow them on for at least two years in the greenhouse before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Neither easy nor reliable.
Air layering.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Leucopogon parviflorus (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic 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

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

[154] Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.

[193] Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989 ISBN 0-207-14383-8
Well presented, clear information and good photographs. An interesting read for the casual reader as well as the enthusiast

[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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