15/04/2026
While I'm excited to tell you that we are shaping the earth and positioning boulders at the Genoa History Park project, (designed and constructed by us by the way), I'm also excited to tell you about this little unsuspecting tree.
The Native Cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis) has an interesting little red fruit with the seed on the outside instead of the inside as is the case with most fruit, although technically it's a swollen stem, not a fruit, but aboriginals ate it as it has a very high sugar content, bush lolly.
It's a pretty little tree perfect for the home garden but you will never find it for sale in the nurseries as in order to grow it must steal its nutrients by latching its roots onto the roots of nearby trees, usually Eucalyptus. The technical term for this is "hemiparasitic". Many have tried to propagate it unsuccessfully.
It's a biodiversity magnet with attributes that support many native fauna species.