User:Cyathodes straminea/sandbox

Cyathodes straminea/sandbox
Cyathodes straminea, small leaved cheeseberry, Tasmania
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Cyathodes
Species:	C.straminea
Binomial name
'Cyathodes straminea'

''Cyathodes straminea'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. its an endemic species of Tasmania. .Alpine to a subalpine shrub with spreading habit. Can grow up to 15-60c or more in height with whorled leaves 5-15mm long with white parallel veins below.The word Cyathodes was derived from Greek "Cyath" meaning Cup "odes" meaning Like, referring ovary encircled by cup-shaped nectary.

Fig.1. C.straminea leaves with parallel venation beneath

Fig.2. white tubular flowers in leaves axils

Fig.3. round-ovate, red, edible fruits with cheese flavor

common name

commonly called as a "False-whorled Cheeseberry".

Discription

Cyathodes straminea is a shrub with leaves arranged in psuedowhorls.Leaves are obovate-elliptic 7.1-15.6 mm long, 2.9-4.5 mm wide, often scarious, staight or upper surface is glabrous, veins prominent in the lower half of the leaf (Fig.1).Petiole 1.6-2.4 mm long . The flowers have long corolla lobes and anthers exserted on thick fiaments. They have 6-10 celled ovary . Plants grow best in areas with moderate winters and cool moist summers.It has white bell-shaped hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) flowers with strong cheesy smell and 6mm in summer in upper leaf axils (Fig.2). Fruits are rounded, oblate to 8mm wide and red and are edible (raw or cooked) (Fig.3)

habitat

Cyathodes straminea grows frequently in open shrubby Dolerite Mountains of the northern, central and eastern parts of the state above 1000m (Fig.4).Can grow in moist, rocky and windy sites with well-drained conditions and is a frost tolerance species. It grows in medium and heavy (clay) soil types Commonly associated with Eucalyptus coccifera, Orites revoluta, Helichrysum and Richea species.

Taxonomy

Over 40 species were reported in the genus Cyathodes but many have many have been replaced in to other genera and few got synonyms. Labillardiere was the first to report Cyathodes, he referred according to the floral characters like floral parts number, corolla shape, number of floral parts, locules number and number of seeds per locules . Cyathodes straminea belongs to the family Ericaceae and the genus Cyathodes, which includes five species C.dealbata, C.glauca, C.platystoma, C.petiolaris, and C.straminea.

Cultivation

It requires a well-drained moist soil in a sheltered site. These plans are very susceptible to drought but can grow even in -7°c . The seeds should be surface sown in ericaceous soil. It germinates within 1-2 months at 18°c. 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