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Useful Temperate Plants

Exocarpos cupressiformis

Labill.

Santalaceae


The generic name Exocarpos was more commonly spelled Exocarpus in the past.

+ Synonyms

Exocarpos communis Miq.

Exocarpos dasystachys Schltdl.

Xylophyllos cupressiformis (Labill.) Kuntze

Common Name: Native Cherry

No Image.

General Information

Exocarpos cupressiformis is an erect, evergreen shrub or a small tree with a rounded or a pyramidal crown; it can grow up to 8 metres tall. The leaves are small and scale-like, with most photosynthesis being carried out by the green stems. The bole is generally 15 - 25cm in diameter, but can reach 60cm near the Victoria and New South Wales border. The plant spreads by means of underground suckers, often forming clumps[
286
Title
Flora of Australia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
,
365
Title
Flora of New South Wales
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/floraonline.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line resource giving a brief botanical description of all the native plants of New South Wales, their habitat and range, together with diagrams and photographs of the plants.
,
601
Title
The Useful Native Plants of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Maiden J.H.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Turner & Co.; London.
Year
1889
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

One report says that the foliage might be poisonous[
154
Title
Flora of Victoria.
Publication
 
Author
Ewart. A. J.
Publisher
University Press; Melbourne
Year
1930
ISBN
 
Description
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.
].

Botanical References

286
Title
Flora of Australia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
,
1461
Title
Flora of Tasmania Online
Publication
 
Author
Duretto MF (Ed.)
Website
http://www.tmag.tas.gov.au/floratasmania
Publisher
Tasmanian Herbarium, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery: Hobart
Year
2009
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent flora, in the process of being published (58 family treatments as of 2017). It can be accesed online and can also be downloaded as PDFs.

Range

Australia - Tasmania, southeastern South Australia, Victoria, eastern New South Wales, southeast Queensland

Habitat

Found in various soils in Eucalypt forest and woodland[
286
Title
Flora of Australia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
]. Sandy soils on dry hillsides[
154
Title
Flora of Victoria.
Publication
 
Author
Ewart. A. J.
Publisher
University Press; Melbourne
Year
1930
ISBN
 
Description
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.
]. Usually found in dry Eucalypt woodland in rocky situations, though it is also found in wetter forests and heathland[
1461
Title
Flora of Tasmania Online
Publication
 
Author
Duretto MF (Ed.)
Website
http://www.tmag.tas.gov.au/floratasmania
Publisher
Tasmanian Herbarium, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery: Hobart
Year
2009
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent flora, in the process of being published (58 family treatments as of 2017). It can be accesed online and can also be downloaded as PDFs.
]

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *
HabitEvergreen Shrub
Height4.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Exocarpos cupressiformis is native from the temperate forests of Tasmania to the subtropical regions of southeastern Queensland.

A major difficulty if trying to cultivate this species is that, although it photosynthesizes much of its own nutrients, it is also semi-parasitic on the roots of other plants, notably Eucalyptus species. Seeds germinate fairly easily, and cuttings will usually root successfully, but the seedlings and cuttings usually die unless they have root access to a host plant. Exocarpos species generally cause very little harm to the host plant.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or made into preserves[
2
Title
Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
Publication
 
Author
Hedrick. U. P.
Publisher
Dover Publications
Year
1972
ISBN
0-486-20459-6
Description
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
,
1461
Title
Flora of Tasmania Online
Publication
 
Author
Duretto MF (Ed.)
Website
http://www.tmag.tas.gov.au/floratasmania
Publisher
Tasmanian Herbarium, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery: Hobart
Year
2009
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent flora, in the process of being published (58 family treatments as of 2017). It can be accesed online and can also be downloaded as PDFs.
]. The fruit is sweet and palatable when fully ripe, but is rather astringent before this[
144
Title
Wild Food in Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Cribb. A. B. and J. W.
Publisher
Fontana
Year
1976
ISBN
0-00-634436-4
Description
A very good pocket guide.
,
154
Title
Flora of Victoria.
Publication
 
Author
Ewart. A. J.
Publisher
University Press; Melbourne
Year
1930
ISBN
 
Description
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.
,
193
Title
Wild Food Plants of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Low. T.
Publisher
Angus and Robertson.
Year
1989
ISBN
0-207-14383-8
Description
Well presented, clear information and good photographs. An interesting read for the casual reader as well as the enthusiast
]. The orange-red to red, obovoid to ellipsoid fruiting receptacle is 4 - 6mm long[
1461
Title
Flora of Tasmania Online
Publication
 
Author
Duretto MF (Ed.)
Website
http://www.tmag.tas.gov.au/floratasmania
Publisher
Tasmanian Herbarium, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery: Hobart
Year
2009
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent flora, in the process of being published (58 family treatments as of 2017). It can be accesed online and can also be downloaded as PDFs.
].
The edible, fleshy, fruit-like structure is actually an enlarged, succulent section of the flower stalk (receptacle), beyond which the seed and true fruit protrude[
397
Title
Australian Native Plants Society
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://anpsa.org.au/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc.
,
1461
Title
Flora of Tasmania Online
Publication
 
Author
Duretto MF (Ed.)
Website
http://www.tmag.tas.gov.au/floratasmania
Publisher
Tasmanian Herbarium, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery: Hobart
Year
2009
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent flora, in the process of being published (58 family treatments as of 2017). It can be accesed online and can also be downloaded as PDFs.
].

Medicinal

The stems are astringent and bitter tonic[
1462
Title
An Ethnopharmacological Study of Medicinal Plants of the Kamilaroi and Muruwari Aboriginal Communities in Northern N
Publication
A Thesis submitted at Macquarie University
Author
Qian Liu
Publisher
 
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
In particular it looks at Ethnopharacological information on the genera Eremurus and Exocarpus. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]

Other Uses

The bark contains up to 15% tannin[
154
Title
Flora of Victoria.
Publication
 
Author
Ewart. A. J.
Publisher
University Press; Melbourne
Year
1930
ISBN
 
Description
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.
,
601
Title
The Useful Native Plants of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Maiden J.H.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Turner & Co.; London.
Year
1889
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

The wood is hard, tough and close-grained but generally only available in small dimensions. A handsome wood, it is used especially for turning and cabinet making, being made into tool handles, spokes, gun stocks, cornice poles, map rollers, and to a limited extent for engraving. In areas where the trees reach larger dimensions, the wood is used for making chairs[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
154
Title
Flora of Victoria.
Publication
 
Author
Ewart. A. J.
Publisher
University Press; Melbourne
Year
1930
ISBN
 
Description
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.
,
601
Title
The Useful Native Plants of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Maiden J.H.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Turner & Co.; London.
Year
1889
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. It was used traditionally for making gurrecks (spear-throwers)[
601
Title
The Useful Native Plants of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Maiden J.H.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Turner & Co.; London.
Year
1889
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Propagation

Propagation and establishment of species in this genus is difficult due to the semi-parasitic nature of the plant. Some success has being achieved in propagation from both seed and cuttings, but the plants generally do not survive once planted out[
397
Title
Australian Native Plants Society
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://anpsa.org.au/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc.
].
Sowing the seed in situ near where potential host plants are growing, and protecting the seed with an upturned glass or plastic container would be worth a try. Alternatively, try sowing the seed in a pot where a small potential host is growing - the main disadvantage to this is that the two plants will be in very close proximity and the Exocarpos could be outcompeted.
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-03-29. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Exocarpos+cupressiformis>

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