Plant of the Month for April

Leucopogon hookeri (Mountain beard-heath)

Family: Ericaceae
Origin: Australia
Accession: 1981
Location: Australasia

A flowering shrub found in subalpine woodland and shrubland and in alpine heath on damp rocky soils in southeastern Australia, it belongs to the family Ericaceae, in the subfamily Styphelioideae (formerly treated as a separate family of Australian heaths known as Epacridaceae). In addition, Leucopogon hookeri is now known as Acrothamnus hookeri (since 2005).
It has small grey-green leaves on a slow growing shrub to 60 cm, and its tiny white tubular flowers are followed by pink or red berries.