Lilac berry facts for kids

Trochocarpa clarkei, commonly known as lilac berry, is a rare flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. It is endemic to sub-alpine areas of Victoria in Australia. It is a shrub which grows to around 30 cm high. The flowers are maroon with a greenish base. The fruits, which appear in autumn, are about 8 mm in diameter. These are eaten by small mammals and birds. The species occurs in subalpine areas of the southern highlands, often in association with Eucalyptus pauciflora.

The species was formally described in 1855 by Victorian Government Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in his paper Definitions of rare or hitherto undescribed Australian plants. Mueller gave it the name Decaspora clarkei based on plant material collected from "shady ravines" at Mount Wellington in Gippsland. In 1867 Mueller transferred the species to the genus Trochocarpa.