Herb: Akeake


Latin name: Olearia avicenniifolia


Synonyms: Olearia albida


Family: Compositae



Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
3 m
(9 3/4 foot)

Flowering:
August to
September

Scent:
Scented
Shrub

Habitat of Akeake:

Sub-alpine scrub to 1000 metres in South Island.

Other uses of the herb:

Very resistant to maritime exposure and tolerant of severe pruning, this plant can be used as an effective windbreak hedge in exposed maritime areas. It is rather slow growing though.

Propagation of Akeake:

Seed - surface sow in early spring in a greenhouse. Do not allow the compost to dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. If growth has been sufficiently good, plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of the following year, otherwise grow them on for another year in pots and plant them out the following early summer. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Pot up in late August and overwinter in a cold frame then plant out in late spring or early summer. Good percentage. Cuttings of moderately ripe wood of the current years growth, 5 - 10cm with a heel, November in a frame. High percentage.

Cultivation of the herb:

Sub-alpine scrub to 1000 metres in South Island.

Medicinal use of Akeake:

None known

Known hazards of Olearia avicenniifolia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.