Mountain native-cherry, Mountain Ballart, Alpine native cherry
Exocarpos humifusus
Family: Santalaceae
What it is like
A small spreading shrub. It grows 30 cm high and spreads 0.5-1.5 m wide. There are many branches. They are rigid and ribbed. The leaves are reduced to small triangle shaped scales. The flowers are very small. They are reddish-yellow. There are 2-6 flowers in clusters in the axils of leaves. The fruit are about 4 mm across. They are red but mature to black. The stalk is succulent and dark red.
There are about 26 Exocarpus species.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. It grows on mountain plateaux and mountain tops. In Tasmania it grows above 1300 m altitude. It often grows amongst rocks. It grows attached to other plants. Tasmania Herbarium.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia (country/location of origin), Tasmania (country/location of origin)
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
This plant is hard to propogate.