Exocarpos strictus
R. Br.
Palefruit native-cherry, Pale-fruit Ballart, Dwarf Cherry
(c) John Tann, some rights reserved (CC BY)
(c) Ken Harris EntSocVic, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ken Harris EntSocVic
(c) Nick Lambert, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Nick Lambert
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The pale red fruit are eaten fresh.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. It grows in sand in scrub and heath near shores. Tasmania Herbarium.
Australia*, Tasmania*,
How to Identify
A shrub. It is bluish-green and has many branches. It grows 1-1.5 m high. The branches are usually rigid and erect. They have sharp ridges along them which are also rough. They are almost leafless. The leaves are small. They are 1-3 mm long and only on young shoots. The flowers are very small. They occur in clusters along the branches. They are greenish-yellow. The fruit are pale red. They have a succulent base and a round green 'seed' on top. This is about 5 mm long.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seed. Seed do not grow easily.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Exocarpos strictus, with common names pale-fruit ballart, pale ballart, and dwarf cherry, is an adaptably versatile erect shrub bearing cherry-like fruit, that forms dense thickets, that is native to parts of Australia (including Tasmania). E. strictus was described by botanist Robert Brown in 1810.
Production
In Victoria it flowers August to November.
Notes
There are about 26 Exocarpus species.
Names & Synonyms
Ballat, Bulliyang, Bullyang, Mirrii, Nyora, Pallert
References (17)
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- Hastings Advance Community College, 2017, Uses for Native Plants of the Mornington Peninsula. 86pp. p 45
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- Low, T., 1992, Bush Tucker. Australia’s Wild Food Harvest. Angus & Robertson. p 49
- McKerney, M. & White, H., 2011, Bush Tucker, Boomerangs & Bandages. Border River-Gwyder Catchment Management Authority p 117
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Smith, K & I., 1999, Grow your own bushfoods. New Holland. Australia. p 29
- Tasmanian Herbarium Vascular Plants list p 53
- Whiting, J. et al, 2004, Tasmania's Natural Flora. Tasmania's Natural Flora Editorial Committee PO Box 194, Ulverstone, Tasmania, Australia 7315 p 309
