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Eustrephus latifolius

Common name:	Wombat Berry	Family:	Philesiaceae
Author:	R.Br. ex Ker-Gawl.	Botanical references:	1, 154
Synonyms:	Eustrephus brownii
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria.
Habitat:	Open forests, extending into dry woodlands and rainforests[193].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Wombat Berry [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	latifolius = broad leaved;

Physical Characteristics

Perennial Climber growing to 5m. . It is in flower in June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

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

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Fruit; Root.

Fruit - raw. It has very little flesh[144, 193]. The orange berry is about 10mm in diameter[265].
Root - raw[177]. Juicy with a sweet flavour[154, 193], but barely worth the effort of excavating them[193]. The roots bear small tubers up to 3cm long[193]. It has been suggested that these tubers are probably capable of enlargement through cultivation[193].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a sheltered position with plenty of humus in the soil[1]. Succeeds in heavy shade in Australian gardens, requiring shade in most soil types[157].
This species is not very hardy in Britain, though it can succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country[1]. It tolerates temperatures down to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[157], but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters.
Plants require support by tying[157].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out into their permanent positions in early summer.
Division in spring.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[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

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[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.

[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.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[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

[265] Carolin. R. & Tindale. M. Flora of the Sydney Region Reed. Australia. 1993 ISBN 0730104001
Concise flora with little beyond an extensive key, species descriptions, very brief habitat description.

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
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Eustrephus+latifolius
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.