Native Cranberry,
Cranberry Heath
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.


Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
Display IBRA region text
Mount Gambier (SVP02) | Southern Volcanic Plain | Least Concern |
Bridgewater (NCP01) | Naracoorte Coastal Plain | Least Concern |
Glenelg Plain (NCP02) | | Least Concern |
Lucindale (NCP03) | | Least Concern |
Tintinara (NCP04) | | Least Concern |
Kangaroo Island (KAN01) | Kanmantoo | Least Concern |
Fleurieu (KAN02) | | Least Concern |
Mount Lofty Ranges (FLB01) | Flinders Lofty Block | Least Concern |
Broughton (FLB02) | | Least Concern (Probable Decline) |
Southern Flinders (FLB04) | | Least Concern |
Northern Flinders (FLB05) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
Central Flinders (FLB06) | | Near Threatened |
Southern Yorke (EYB01) | Eyre Yorke Block | Least Concern (Probable Decline) |
St Vincent (EYB02) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) (Probable Decline) |
Eyre Hills (EYB03) | | Least Concern |
Talia (EYB04) | | Least Concern |
Eyre Mallee (EYB05) | | Least Concern |
Murray Mallee (MDD02) | Murray Darling Depression | Least Concern |
Murray Lakes and Coorong (MDD03) | | Least Concern |
Lowan Mallee (MDD04) | | Least Concern |
Wimmera (MDD05) | | Least Concern |
Myall Plains (GAW01) | Gawler | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) |
Gawler Volcanics (GAW02) | | Least Concern |
Yellabinna (GVD06) | Great Victoria Desert | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) |
Mount Gambier (SVP02) | Southern Volcanic Plain | Least Concern |
4 of 4 subregions | Naracoorte Coastal Plain | Least Concern |
2 of 2 subregions | Kanmantoo | Least Concern |
5 of 6 subregions | Flinders Lofty Block | Least Concern , Near Threatened , Rare |
5 of 5 subregions | Eyre Yorke Block | Least Concern , Rare |
4 of 6 subregions | Murray Darling Depression | Least Concern |
2 of 8 subregions | Gawler | Least Concern , Rare |
Yellabinna (GVD06) | Great Victoria Desert | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) |
Botanical art
Kath Alcock paintings: 5
Prior names
Astroloma humifusum
Astroloma pallidum
Astroloma humifusum var. denticulatum
Ventenatia humifusa
Astroloma denticulatum
Common names
Native Cranberry
Cranberry Heath
Etymology
Styphelia from the Greek 'styphelos' meaning hard or rough; alluding to the stiff prickly-pointed leaves. Humifusum from the Latin 'humus' meaning low- growing, alluding to its prostrate habit.
Distribution and status
Found on the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas, Flinders and Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island, the Murray and South-east in South Australia, growing in open forest and mallee scrub on loam or sandy soils over granite or limestone. Also found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Prostrate mat-forming shrub to 40cm across. Leaves linear, narrow-elliptic or oblanceolate to 18 mm long and 3 mm wide; thin, striate-veined on lower surface; apex often recurved. Flowers solitary, or rarely 2-3, corolla tube cylindrical, bright-red, to 12 mm long, densely bearded inside except at the tip. Flowering between June and November. Fruits are dark-green to purple globular drupe. Seeds are brown, woody ellipsoid seed to 6 mm long and 4 mm wide. Seed embryo type is linear, underdeveloped.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and March. Collect ripe drupes, those that are fat and turning purple. Fruits may also be gathered from the ground under the foliage. Remove unwanted material from the seed collection, leaving only fruits. Place fruits in a bucket of water and leave to soak over night. Then rub the fruit to remove the flesh. Rub and change the water a few times until all the fresh are removed. Leave the cleaned seed to dry and then store with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 92%. This species has morphophysiological dormancy and is difficult to germinate
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature | MSB | 1,300 (50.5 g) | >100 | 12-Oct-2005 | DJD138 South Eastern | | | |
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.
Germination table:
Display
Date | Result | T0 | T50 | Pre-treatment | Germination medium | Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod |
May-16 | 85% | 21 | 21 |
seeds excised from endocarp, 500 mg/L gibberellic acid 24 h; 1% agar; 12/12; / 15°C |
Aug-14 | 6% | 63 | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide 30 min, water rinse, dry after ripening in 35°C oven 6 weeks, 1000 mg/L gibberellic acid + 33% smoke water 48 h; moist sand; Incubated under winter conditions |
Aug-14 | 6% | 63 | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide 30 min, water rinse, wet/dry cycles 1 day wet followed by 6 days dry at 35°C repeated 6 weeks; moist sand; Incubated under winter conditions |
Aug-14 | 6% | 140 | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide 30 min, water rinse, dry after ripening in summer incubator 8 weeks, 1000 mg/L gibberellic acid + 33% smoke water 48 h; moist sand; Incubated under winter conditions |
Jun-15 | 2% | 34 | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide 20 min, water rinse, gently cracked woody endocarps, 900 mg/L gibberellic acid + 10% smoke water 48 h; moist sand; Oct-14 / 15°C |
Aug-14 | 2% | 140 | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide 30 min, water rinse, wet/dry cycles 1 day wet to 6 days dry at 35°C repeated over 6 weeks, 1000 mg/L gibberellic acid + smoke water 33% 48 h; moist sand; Incubated under winter conditions |
Aug-14 | 0% | NA | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide 30 min, water rinse, dry after ripening in 35°C oven 6 weeks; moist sand; Incubated under winter conditions |
Aug-14 | 0% | NA | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide 30 min, water rinse, dry after ripening in summer incubator 8 weeks; moist sand; Incubated under winter conditions |
Aug-14 | 0% | NA | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide 30 min, water rinse; moist sand; Incubated under winter conditions |
Jun-15 | 0% | NA | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide 20 min, water rinse, 900 mg/L gibberellic acid + 10% smoke water 48 h; moist sand; 10/14; / 15°C |
Result: Maximum percentage of germination observed.
T0: Number of days before first germinant observed.
T50: Number of days to achieve 50% germination.
Pre-treatment: The initial treatment that the seeds received prior to placement on germination media.
Germination medium: The substrate that seeds were placed on for the duration of the germination experiment.
Incubator conditions:
Photoperiod: The duration of light exposure that the seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Thermoperiod: The constant or diurnal temperatures that seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Winter conditions: 15°C 20 h (3am→11pm); 5°C 4 h (11pm→3am) / 10 h light (8am→6pm); 14 h dark (6pm→8am)
Spring/Autumn conditions: 22°C 12 h (8am→8pm); 10°C 12 h (8pm→8am) / 12 h light (8am→8pm); 12 h dark (8pm→8am)
Summer conditions: 30°C 14 h (6am→8pm); 15°C 10 h (8pm→6am) / 14 h light (6am→8pm); 10 h dark (8pm→6am)