TASMANIAN COPPERLEAF SNOW BERRY (Gaultheria hispida) Seeds

This bush for a shady, moist site comes alive in summer to autumn with the whitest of white berry like fruit with a red center.

The leaves are quite distinctive, toothed, shiny with veins depressed, and often with a reddish tinge at the tips. The stems are usually quite red. Evergreen shrub growing to 0.9m (3ft) Semi-shade, it prefers moist soil.

Bush food: The white fruits are edible raw and can be cooked to make tarts and jams,  described as having a sweet but subtle flavour and a crispy texture which make them ideal to accompany ice cream or other desserts.

Germination: The seeds require a period of cold stratification, pre-chill for 4-10 weeks and then surface sow in a lime free compost. Germinates well , usually within 1-2 months at 20c but seedlings are liable to damp