Herb latin name: Cyathodes colensoi


Synonyms: Leucopogon colensoi


Family: Epacridaceae



Edible parts of Cyathodes colensoi:

Fruit - raw or cooked. A sweet mealy flesh. Rarely seen on plants growing in Britain. The fruit is about 5mm in diameter. One report says that the fruit contains up to 24% by dry weight of oil, does this refer to the seed?.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
30 cm
(11 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
April
to May


Scent:
Scented
Shrub

Habitat of the herb:

Montane to lower sub-alpine open grassland to rocky places and fellfield on North and South Islands.

Other uses of Cyathodes colensoi:

A most attractive ground cover plant for the winter garden.

Propagation of the herb:

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 in a greenhouse for at least two years 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.

Cultivation of Cyathodes colensoi:

Montane to lower sub-alpine open grassland to rocky places and fellfield on North and South Islands.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Cyathodes colensoi:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.