Astelia alpina -

Family:	Asteliaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.3
Synonyms:
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania.

Astelia alpina () is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.3m . It has a hardness rating of 0.
The flowers from this plant are dioecious (each plant is either male or female, thus both genders need to be present to seed) and they are pollinated by

Soil Information

Astelia alpina will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is / is important for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Astelia alpina prefers moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Astelia alpina can grow in semi or areas with no shade.

Mountain moorlands, especially in boggy situations, in the alpine and sub-alpine zones[154].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Works within dappled Shade

Cultivation Details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors at least in the milder parts of this country. It survives temperatures down to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[157] but this cannot be directly translated to British gardens because of our cooler summers and longer colder and wetter winters. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Requires a damp humus-rich fertile soil in sun or semi-shade, sheltered from cold drying winds[200]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 2/5
Fruit - raw. Sweet, fleshy and juicy, it is pleasant to eat[144, 154, 157, 173]. Leaf base[154, 173]. No more details.

• Fruit -
• Leaves -

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 0/5
None known

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse. Germination can be very slow, sometimes taking more than 12 months. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade for at least the first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in late spring or early summer once they are 15cm or more tall. Division in spring[200].

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Flora of Victoria.
Ewart. A. J.
Author: Ewart. A. J.
Rating:
Publisher : A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.
Date of Publication :

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