Family:

Violaceae

Melicytes dentatus

Tree Violet

Other Names:

Regional Subspecies:

Occurrence:

Regional:

Predominantly east of the Hume highway. Noted in the areas: Talmalmo-Murray; Coppabella; Jingellic; Ournie; Maragle; Tooma; Ardenside-Welaregang; Lower Tooma-Greg Greg; Bringenbrong-Khancoban; Four Mile; Deadmans-Bungowannah-Long Flat; and Upper Gilmore.

Australia:

NSW, Vic, Tas, SA.

Habitat:

Amongst rocks, often along creeksides and in alpine heath.

Habit:

Rigid shrub to 4 m high with branchlets often ending in spines. Dark-green foliage with toothed margins and tiny bell-shaped, fragrant flowers.

Site Preference:

Well-drained sites. Tolerates most frost.

Characteristics:

Apparently long-lived and extremely hardy. Slow-growing. Lush in lightly shaded gullies, or stunted and spiny on exposed dry rocky sites.

Flowering:

Pale-yellow, spring-summer.

Seed Collection:

Late Dec to early April, when berries are pale-green to purple. Monitor closely as seeds shed 3-14 days after maturity.

Propagation:

From seed or cuttings. Sowing recommendations vary. Local growers have germinated seed by sowing whole freshly collected fruit about 1 cm deep and keeping in non-humid shadehouse. Seeds germinate in 3-4 months. Seedlings easily handled. Rooting hormones improve strike rate of cuttings.

Regeneration:

From seed, dispersed by birds.

VALUES:

Shade & Shelter:

Excellent long-lived low-level cover in windbreaks.

Wildlife:

Excellent habitat. Prickly foliage excellent refuge and nesting sites for small native birds. Birds feed on fruit.

Ornamental:

Attractive, for hedges, screening, and barriers. Watering over summer, and pruning is beneficial. Floral perfume may be overpowering if plants too close to house doors and windows.