Trochocarpa clarkei

(F.Meull.) F. Muell.

Lilac berry

Ericaceae Edible: Fruit 22 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Trochocarpa clarkei, commonly known as lilac berry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. It is a dense, often low-lying shrub with oblong leaves and bisexual flowers arrange in dense flowering spikes, usually on old wood, with maroon and green petals joined at the base to from an urn-shaped to bell-shaped tube with dense tufts of hairs in the throat. The fruit is a bluish-purple drupe.

Description

A shrub. It grows 30 cm tall. It lies along the ground and forms roots at the node. The small branches are hairy. The leaves are narrowly oblong and 3-11 mm long by 1.2-3.5 mm wide. The flowers are in spikes of 5-11 flowers. They occur in the axils of leaves on old wood. The fruit are a flattened round shape and 7-8 mm long. They are bluish-purple.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows in alpine regions in Victoria.

Where It Grows

Australia*,

Cultivation

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it is likely to succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country. It is likely to require a warm sheltered position, probably preferring a position in light woodland. Plants self-layer.

Propagation

Sow seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe where possible, otherwise in early spring. Prick seedlings out into individual pots once large enough to handle and grow on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Cuttings are best taken in July or August in a frame. As with many members of this family, plants likely have very fine root systems, so take great care when transplanting. Division of self-layered branches is also possible.