Agapetes planet fruit
The fruits of this tropical heath are almost astronomical. Not in size - the berry is only centimetre or two in diameter - but in its markings which to me look a little lunar or Mars-like.
But then I'm a botanist, with no expertise in planetary bodies. What I do know is that this is (for now) a species of Agapetes called Agapetes hosseana. It's a close relative of the blueberry (Vaccinium) but in nature you find this one clambering around tree branches, alongside rhododendrons and orchids such as Vanilla, in the mountain forests of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
We have it in fruit, and flower, in our Melbourne Gardens nursery. You may recall a few other exotic heaths featured in Talking Plants over the last few years, including Dimorphanthera, Disterigma and some odd Vaccinium. Many of these, including this Agapetes, were sourced from near Gosford, in NSW, where the talented collector and grower of exotic plants, Bob Cherry, used to run his plant nursery, Paradise Plants.
The…
But then I'm a botanist, with no expertise in planetary bodies. What I do know is that this is (for now) a species of Agapetes called Agapetes hosseana. It's a close relative of the blueberry (Vaccinium) but in nature you find this one clambering around tree branches, alongside rhododendrons and orchids such as Vanilla, in the mountain forests of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
We have it in fruit, and flower, in our Melbourne Gardens nursery. You may recall a few other exotic heaths featured in Talking Plants over the last few years, including Dimorphanthera, Disterigma and some odd Vaccinium. Many of these, including this Agapetes, were sourced from near Gosford, in NSW, where the talented collector and grower of exotic plants, Bob Cherry, used to run his plant nursery, Paradise Plants.
The…
