Family:
CHENOPODIACEAE
Melichrus urceolatus
Urn Heath
Other Names: Urn-heath, Honeygland Heath
Regional Subspecies:
n/a
HABIT:
Upright, stiffly-branched shrub, 20 cm to 1.5 m high, prickly leaves, downy branches. Crowded white, cream, or yellow-green urn-shaped flowers, Mar-Nov.
HABITAT & SITE PREFERENCE:
Dry sclerophyll forest, Cypress Pine woodland, and wattle scrub on skeletal sandy or loamy soils. Prefers 300 – 500 mm rainfall in the Riverina.
SEED COLLECTION & PROPAGATION:
Collect ripe fruit, wash off or consume pulp, store or sow seed. Difficult propagation from seed. Best propagated from cuttings of relatively soft young growth (may be difficult to strike). Regenerates from lignotuber.
VALUES & USES:
Good habitat. Attractive in gardens, benefits from moderate pruning. Edible fruit.