The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.

Common Name:

General Information

Microcachrys tetragona is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 0.20 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Australia - Tasmania.

Habitat

Mountains in the alpine and sub-alpine zones[]. Habitat ranges from exposed rocky ridges to wet moorlands; usually grows above 1000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.20 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a moist soil and very high humidity with plenty of rain[]. Succeeds on a north facing slope[].
This species is fairly hardy in Britain, succeeding outdoors in all but the coldest parts of the country[].
A slow growing plant[].
Plants are usually dioecious but monoecious forms are sometimes found. Female plants can set fruit in the absence of a male but male plants must also be grown if fertile seed is required[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. It is rather small, about the size of a small blackcurrant, and does not have much flavour[]. The female cones are ovoid, 6 - 8 mm long, comprising 20 or more fertile scales which become fleshy and scarlet at maturity[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can be very slow to germinate, stored seed often requiring 12 months stratification[]. When 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. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Bird-sown seedlings, if they can be obtained, are the best way of propagating this plant[].