Cyathodes glauca
Purple Cheeseberry
Purple Cheeseberry
Common name: Purple Cheeseberry
Conservation status: unknown
Etymology:
The word 'Cyathodes' is in reference to the flower, describing it as 'cup-shaped'
"Glauca' is derived from 'glaucous' which means blueish-grey or green, referring to the distinguishable, lighter colour on the underside of the leaves
Flowers:
Flowers: numerous, mostly terminal flowers, solitary in axils of final whorl
Slightly scented, they are small (1 cm), white and tubular with recurved lobes and protruding anthers
They flower in spring and early summer
Fruit:
Fruit: a distinctively pink/purple drupe, 1 cm in diameter
Shape is that of a partially flattened tennis ball
Leaves:
Leaves: Dark green, linear and pointed 2–4 cm long
They have parallel venation and form false whorls, particularly towards the end of the stem
Undersides are distinctively glaucous
Stem & branches:
Roots:
Habit:
A woody shrub or small tree
Habitat:
Widespread and locally common understorey plant in open forest below 1100m (subalpine)
It inhabits mostly subalpine, sclerophyll woodland or wet sclerophyll forest
Distribution:
It is found almost only in Tasmania, Australia, with outlying occurrences in central-east NSW and far southwest South Australia
Additional notes:
Belongs to the 'heath' family, Ericaceae. 'Heath' refers to open, shrub-like communities which survive on well-drained and poor quality soils
Ecology
Common dominant species that Cyathodes glauca occurs with are Leptospermum scoparium, Pultenaea daphnoides
Monotoca glauca and Acacia species
Cyathodes glauca prefers moist, well-drained/poor quality soil
As a result, it is often found on rocky slopes and boulder fields where clay soils overlay dolerite
Slopes are typically of a southeast aspect with gentle to moderate gradient and good drainage
Affinities
There are three other known species within the genus Cyathodes
Cyathodes platystoma (a threatened species), has the largest leaves and is only found in wet sclerophyll forests of the Tasman Peninsula
Cyathodes straminea looks very similar to C. glauca although has smaller leaves, dark red drupes and is only found above 1100m
Other recognisable members of the family Ericaceae include blueberries, cranberries and rhododendrons
Sources of information: