Common Name: Flame Heath

General Information

Astroloma conostephioides is an erect or spreading, evergreen shrub with prickly leaves; it can grow 30 - 100cm tall, occasionally to 200cm[]..
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. Although difficult to cultivated, the plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Australia - Victoria, South Australia.

Habitat

Heathland and open forests in sandy soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.70 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Astroloma conostephioides is a plant of fairly dry areas in southern Australia, where it experiences cool winters with some light frosts.
Requires a sunny position, succeeding in most soils that are mildly acidic to very acidic.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. Sweet and sticky[]. The succulent red fruits are around 7mm in diameter. The fruits are completely enclosed in reddish-brown papery scales[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed has a hard coat and some form of scarification is necessary or the seed can take up to 5 years to germinate. Two or three periods each of 4 - 6 weeks cold stratification can reduce the time taken to germinate[]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. When large enough, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Cuttings of firm young tip growths[]. It is very difficult to obtain suitable wood[] and the cuttings are slow to root[].