Growing Guide
Mahoe is one of the most common small trees, tolerant of both sun and shade, wet and dry, and an important component of any restoration programme. It grows up to 10 metres high with a trunk up to 60 cm in diameter, it has smooth, whitish bark and brittle twigs. The dark-green "alternate" leaves are 5–15 cm long and 3–5 cm wide and their edges are finely serrated (although this feature is less pronounced in younger plants).The plants are dioecious and the small flowers are yellowish in colouration, between 3 and 4 mm in diameter and occur in fascicles, growing straight out from naked twigs- these flowers have a strong, pleasant fragrance. The berries are a striking violet colour when ripe and are more or less spherical with a diameter of between 3 and 4 mm.
Propagation: Sow the washed seeds or whole fruit sparingly on a firm bed of seed raising mix and lightly cover.
Seeds usually take about two months to germinate depending on the temperature.
It is vulnerable to root damage when transplanting, slug browsing and can also be knocked by frost.
For this reason, new plants should have established some woody stems before planting out.
Flowers appear in the spring and fruit from Christmas onwards – although often fruit is more abundant in autumn if there has been a second flowering.
Fruit varies in colour between white and deep purple.
Look for seeds from February to June.
Zone 1 - Cool
Zone 2 - Temperate
Zone 3 - Subtropical
Pests
Problems
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