Scientific Name: Montitega dealbata
Common Name: carpet cheeseberry
Family Classification (Clade): Eudicots
Family: Ericaceae
Form Description: Prostrate with slender woody branches forming a dense mat 15-40cm in diameter.
Flowers: White, tube longer than sepals. Flowers solitary in leaf axils.
Fruit: Drupe – red, spherical, about 5mm in diameter.
Municipality
Plant Communities
Habitat Notes
Widespread as dominant in mat heath on the summit of mountains and subordinate in other types of heath .
Site Tolerance
Exposed, Moist, Rocky, Shady, Windy
Soil Tolerance
Fertile, Loam, Nutrient-poor, Poorly-drained, Well-drained
Frost Tolerance
Hardy
General Notes
In cultivation they require a well-composted soil and heavy shade. In less favourable conditions growth is extremely slow.
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
Very difficult to grow from seed. 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
May take 1-3 years to germinate.
Germination Time
1-3 years
Cutting & Division Information
Usually grown from cuttings. Care must be taken in handling the typically fine roots of members of the Ericaceae family.