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Common Name: Crimson Berry

General Information

Cyathodes juniperina is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 2.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Australia - Tasmania and New Zealand.

Habitat

Forest and scrub from the coast to the montane zone on North, South and Stewart Islands of New Zealand[, , ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a moist well-drained lime-free humus rich soil in a sheltered site in partial or dappled shade[, , ]. Succeeds in poor soils[]. Plants are very susceptible to drought[]. A good rock garden plant[]. Slow growing.
This species is not very hardy in Britain, it might succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country otherwise it is best grown in a cold greenhouse[]. Plants grow best in areas with moderate winters and cool moist summers[].
Plants have very fine root systems and great care must be taken when transplanting them.
C. robusta is closely related to this species and is sometimes more generous with its small white fruits[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[]. Rather dry, it is only 76% water which is low for a fruit. It contains (dry weight) 3.1% protein, 18.3% sugar and 23.7 % lipids[]. The fruit is about 7mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in an ericaceous soil mix, late winter/early spring in a cold frame[]. Do not exclude light[]. Germination can take place within 1 - 2 months at 18°c but often takes as long as 3 - 5 years[]. Scarification will reduce the germination time and 2 or 3 periods of 4 - 6 weeks cold stratification alternated with 4 weeks warm stratification can also help[]. Perhaps sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe would also be beneficial[].The seedlings can be very slow to form roots and need to be potted up with great care[]. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first 2 growing seasons and, when large enough, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame. Neither easy nor reliable[].
Air layering[].
Division of the plants as they come into growth in the spring. We have found it best not to dig up the main clump, but to tease out small divisions from the sides of the plant. Make sure that these are well rooted and pot them up in light shade in a greenhouse. Grow them on for their first summer in the greenhouse and plant them out in late spring, after the last expected frosts.