Family Index

Scientific Name

Monotoca scoparia

Family Name

EPACRIDACEAE

Common Name

Prickly Broom-heath

Status

Height

0.2m - 1.2m (20-120cm)

Flowers

Sometimes solitary but often 2-4 crowded in very short spike.Creamy white sweetly fragrant.

Fruit

Berries or drupes

Form

Much-branched with compact growth habit, dwarf to medium shrub. Has blackish bark and leaves end in a prickly point.

Municipalities

Break O'Day; Derwent Valley; Dorset; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Meander Valley; Tasman; West Coast; West Tamar

Communities

Coastal Vegetation; Dry Eucalypt Forest and Woodland; Heath

Habitat Notes

Locally frequent in sandy coastal heaths in the northwest and east. Withstands extended dry periods.

Site Tolerance

Dry; Exposed

Frost Tolerance

Soil Tolerance

Loam; Phosphorous intolerant; Poor; Sandy; Well-drained

General Notes

Takes many years to reach 1.5m. Responds well to pruning and coppicing, good for background planting. Suitable below powerlines.

Propagation Details

Propagation Calendar

Flowering Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Collecting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sowing Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Cutting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Information

Seed Collection

Fruit an oval drupe, dull yellowish in colour

Seed Treatment Method

Fermentation

Seed Storage Life

Viable Seeds Per Gram

Seed Treatment Notes

Difficult to grow from seed but using bird-ingested seed or acid treament may improve results. Never discard seedling trays within 18 months of sowing as plants are very slow to germinate.

Germination Time

up to 18 months

Suitable for Direct Seeding

Cuttings

Expected Time to Take Root

Expected Time to Plant Out

Propagation by Division N.B. Transplant only from nearby to avoid disease.

Cutting Notes

May be propagated from cuttings. Rooting hormones can be beneficial. Particular care should be taken when handling the minute seedlings because they develop long, fine roots. A well-composted soil is essential and care should be taken not to let plants dry out.