EPACRIDACEAE

Cheeseberry

 

0.6m - 10.0m (60-1000cm) 

White tubular flowers in clusters among the leaves at the ends of branches. 

Berries or drupes 

Shrub or small tree 

Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Coast; Central Highlands; Circular Head; Clarence; Derwent Valley; Devonport; Dorset; Flinders Island; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Glenorchy; Hobart; Huon Valley; Kentish; Kingborough; Latrobe; Launceston; Meander Valley; Northern Midlands; Sorell; Southern Midlands; Tasman; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast; West Tamar 

Montane Vegetation; Wet Eucalypt Forest 

Tas. endemic. Widespread and abundant on wet hillsides and mountain foothills, reaching an altitude of 1100m. Usually a straggling shrub but sometimes (on the west coast) a small tree up to 10m high. 

Exposed; Moist 

Hardy 

Fertile; Loam; Phosphorous intolerant; Well-drained 

Susceptible to Phytophthora cinnamomi. Not suitable below powerlines. 

Red, pink or purple (rarely white) rounded and somewhat flattened drupe. masticate seed , leave on a hot window sill or store in paper bags and then remove dried seed case 

Fermentation 

 

 

Fruit is present for much of the year. Difficult to propagate from seed collected from plants. Seeds are said to germinate better after passage through a bird's intestine. 

May take 1-3 years 

 

 

 

 

Cuttings are difficult. Excessive care must be taken in handling the typically fine roots of epacrids.