Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Acrotriche serrulata

Flowering stems. Photographer Rosemary Blemings, ACT

Fruit. Photographer Kevin Sparrow, near Orford, Vic

Flowering plant. Photographer Don Wood, near Potato Point

Common name

Honeypots, Groundberry

Family

Ericaceae

Where found

Forest, grassy woodland, heath, and shrubland. Widespread, but only two sightings in the Sydney area.

Notes

Sprawling or prostrate shrub to 0.6 m high, forming mats to 1 m diameter. Leaves sharp pointed. Fruit fleshy. Branchlets hairy with fine hairs. Leaves whorled, 0.3–1.3 cm long, 0.5–2.5 mm wide, flat, sparsely hairy on both surfaces (at least when young), rarely almost hairless, lower surface with 3–7-prominent parallel veins separated by shallow glaucous grooves, margins fringed or rough to toothed, tips mucronate. Flowers pale green or whitish, sometimes maroon-tinged, tubular, with 5 lobes. Tube 2.2–4.7 mm long; lobes 1.5–2.5 mm long with a fringe of hairs at the tips and with 5 tufts of hairs spreading across the throat. Flowers in 5–12 flowered clusters about 2–8 mm long. Flowers on old wood (often below the leafy region). Flowers mainly Jun.–Nov. Fruit greyish green, hairy with fine hairs.

Family was Epacridaceae.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Acrotriche~serrulata (accessed 2 January, 2021)