Cheese Berry
Cyathodes glauca
Family: Epacridaceae
What it is like
Cyathodes glauca is an evergreen Shrub growing to 1.5 m (5ft). It is in leaf all year. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 1.5
Where it is found
Alpine and sub-alpine zones to 1000 metres.
Australia - Tasmania.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Fruit - raw or cooked. A sweet mealy flesh.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Requires a moist well-drained lime-free humus rich soil in a sheltered site in partial or dappled shade. Plants are very susceptible to drought. A good rock garden plant. Slow growing. This species is not very hardy in Britain, though it might succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country. Otherwise it is best grown in a cold greenhouse. Plants are hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens because of our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. Plants are said to grow best in areas with moderate winters and cool moist summers. Plants have very fine root systems and great care must be taken when transplanting them.
Propagating it: 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.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade
Moisture: Moist