Herb: Pink Mountain Berry


Latin name: Cyathodes parviflora


Synonyms: Cyathodes parvifolia, Cyathodes richei, Leucopogon parviflorus


Family: Epacridaceae



Edible parts of Pink Mountain Berry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. Pleasantly sweet and juicy but it has a large seed. A delightful lemony flavour. The fruit is about 5mm wide.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Habitat of the herb:

Drier rocky slopes to 1200 metres. Usually found on sandy or rocky seacoasts in Australia.

Other uses of Pink Mountain Berry:

Wood - tough and hard.

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 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.

Cultivation of Pink Mountain Berry:

Drier rocky slopes to 1200 metres. Usually found on sandy or rocky seacoasts in Australia.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Cyathodes parviflora:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.