Styphelia humifusa

Styphelia humifusa, commonly known as native cranberry or cranberry heath, is a small prostrate shrub or groundcover in the heath family Ericaceae. The species is endemic to south-eastern Australia.

Styphelia humifusa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Styphelia
Species:
S. humifusa
Binomial name
Styphelia humifusa
Synonyms[1]
  • Astroloma humifusum (Cav.) R.Br.
  • Ventenatia humifusa Cav.
  • Astroloma denticulatum R.Br.
  • Astroloma humifusum var. denticulatum (R.Br.) Guilf.
  • Styphelia denticulata Spreng.

Description

Styphelia humifusa grows as a spreading mat-like shrub up to 50 cm (20 in) high and 0.5 to 1.5 m (20 in to 5 ft) across.[2] Its hairy stems bear blue-green pine-like acute leaves 0.5-1.2 cm (0.2-0.5 in) long. The tubular flowers are up to 2 cm (0.8 in) long and appear from February to June, and are all red, unlike the red and green flowers of A. pinifolium. Flowers are followed by green globular berries around 0.4-0.6 cm (0.2 in) in diameter, which become reddish as they ripen.[3]

Taxonomy

Styphelia humifusa was first formally described in 1797 by Antonio José Cavanilles who gave it the name Ventenatia humifusa in his Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum.[4][5] In 1805, Christiaan Hendrik Persoon transferred the species to Styphelia as S. humifusa in his book Synopsis plantarum, seu enchiridium botanicum.[1]

Common names

Common names include cranberry heath and native cranberry, as the fruits were eaten by early settlers.[2] An old name is juniper-leaved astroloma.[6] A common nineteenth century name was the ground berry.[7]

Distribution and habitat

The range is in southeastern Australia, from Port Stephens in the north in eastern and central New South Wales, into Victoria, south-eastern South Australia and Tasmania.[3][8][9] It is generally found in open woodland, both on sandstone and clay soils,[3] as well as upland bogs. Associated plant species include Eucalyptus fibrosa, Eucalyptus sideroxylon, and Kunzea ambigua.[10]

Ecology

The eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) eats the fruit.[11]

Uses

Requiring good drainage in the garden, Styphelia humifusa can be grown in rockeries.[12] The juicy berries are edible, although they are mostly made up of a large seed. They can be used to make jams or preserves.[2] The flavour of the berries has been described as "sickly sweet".[6]

The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that "The fruits of these dwarf shrubs have a viscid sweetish pulp, with a relatively large stone. The pulp is described by some as being "apple flavoured..."[7]

References
  1. "Styphelia humifusa". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  2. Elliot, Rodger W.; Jones, David L.; Blake, Trevor (1985). Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation: Vol. 2. Port Melbourne: Lothian Press. p. 248. ISBN 0-85091-143-5.
  3. Fairley A, Moore P (2000). Native Plants of the Sydney District: An Identification Guide (2nd ed.). Kenthurst, NSW: Kangaroo Press. p. 87. ISBN 0-7318-1031-7.
  4. "Ventenatia humifusa". APNI. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  5. Cavanilles, Antonio J. (1797). Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum. Vol. 4. Madrid. p. 28. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  6. Bennett, George (1860). Gatherings of a naturalist in Australasia: being observations principally on the animal and vegetable productions of New South Wales, New Zealand, and some of the austral islands. John Van Voorst. pp. 370. astroloma humifusum.
  7. J. H. Maiden (1889). The useful native plants of Australia : Including Tasmania. Turner and Henderson, Sydney. p. 8
  8. J. M. Powell. "New South Wales Flora Online: Astroloma humifusum". Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia.
  9. "Astroloma humifusum". Electronic Flora of South Australia Fact Sheet. State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  10. Benson, Doug; McDougall, Lyn (1995). "Ecology of Sydney Plants 3: families Cabombaceae to Eupomatiaceae" (PDF). Cunninghamia. 4 (2): 217–429. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
  11. Hume, Ian D. (1999). Marsupial nutrition. Cambridge University Press. p. 319. ISBN 9780521595551.
  12. Gray, Marilyn (2010). "Astroloma humifusum". Archived from the original on 29 March 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
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