Astroloma humifusum
| Astroloma humifusum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 0.3' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Astroloma humifusum (common name: cranberry heath)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed has a hard coat and some form of scarification is necessary or the seed can take up to 5 years to germinate. Two or three periods each of 4 - 6 weeks cold stratification can reduce the time taken to germinate[1]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. When large enough, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Cuttings of firm young tip growths[2]. It is very difficult to obtain suitable wood[3] and the cuttings are slow to root[2].
Cultivation: Succeeds in most well-drained soils[2]. Established plants are moderately drought tolerant[2].
This species is hardy to about -7°c in Australian gardens[3], but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens because of our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. Plants can survive frosts in Britain, particularly if the roots are well mulched, but they are best when grown in a cold greenhouse in this country[2].
The plants have a very fine root system which makes transplanting difficult[3].
Range: Australia - Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.
Habitat: Sandy loams in the mountain zone[4]. In heathland and open forests[5][2]. Also found on cleared land in a range of soils including sandstone, shale and heavy clay[2].
Edibility: Fruit - raw. A sweet viscid pulp[6][7][4][3][8]. The taste is somewhat like apples[5]. The fruit is a drupe about 7 - 11mm wide[5][2].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Focus on Plants Volume 5. Thompson and Morgan, 1991.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wrigley, John and Murray Fagg. Australian Native Plants. Collins, 1988.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ewart, Alfred. Recording Census of the Victorian Flora. 1923.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Low, Tim. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson, 1989.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.