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Image Credit: Anna Povey – with permission
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Image Credit: Anna Povey – with permission
Scientific Name: Leptecophylla divaricata Endemic Having a natural distribution confined to a particular geographic region
Common Name: spreading pinkberry
Family Classification (Clade): Eudicots
Family: Ericaceae
Form Description: An erect, much-branched shrub. Prickly, narrow leaves are striped white under.
Height (m): 0.3 – 0.9
Flowers: Small, cream with short stalk and functionally unisexual.
Fruit: Drupe – colour varies from pale-pink to red, about 8mm in diameter.
Municipality
Plant Communities
Habitat Notes
Dry, rocky sites in woodlands, usually within 40km of the south-eastern coast.
Site Tolerance
Dry, Rocky, Shady
Soil Tolerance
Fertile, Loam, Nutrient-poor, Sandy, Well-drained
General Notes
Not commonly cultivated. Requires a well-composted soil and heavy shade.
Propagation Calendar
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Flowering Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec -
Seed Collecting Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec -
Sowing Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec -
Cutting Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Propagation Method
Seed Information
Seed Collection
After collection masticate seed, leave on a hot window sill or store in paper bags and then remove dried seed case.
Seed Treatment Method
Fermentation Collect fleshy fruits in a plastic bag, mash up and allowed to ferment to replicate digestion by a bird.
Seed Treatment Notes
Difficult to grow from seed. May take 1-3 years to germinate. Seed is said to germinate better after passing through a bird.
Germination Time
1-3 years
Cutting & Division Information
Difficult to grow from cuttings. Extreme care must be taken in handling the typically fine roots of members of the Ericaceae family.