natural herbs
Cyathodes fraseri

Herb latin name: Cyathodes fraseri

Synonyms: Leucopogon fraseri

Family: Epacridaceae

Edible parts of Cyathodes fraseri:

Fruit - raw or cooked. Sweet and juicy. Contains up to 24% dry weight of oil. (does this refer to the seed?).

Description of the plant:

Plant:

Evergreen
Shrub

Height:

15 cm
(6 inches)

Flowering:

May to
June

Habitat of the herb:

Coastal dunes, lowland to sub-alpine open grassland and rocky places on North, South and Stewart Islands in New Zealand.

Other uses of Cyathodes fraseri:

A most attractive ground cover plant for the winter garden.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - surface sow in an ericaceous soil mix, February/March in a cold frame. Do not exclude light. Germination can take place within 1 - 2 months at 18°C but often takes as long as 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 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. Air layering. 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.

Cultivation of Cyathodes fraseri: